Purgatory
by wickedXTC
Summary: Bella goes to Forks for her senior year to figure out who she is. At her new school she meets a strange group of people who tell her they've been waiting for her. "They made thirteen altogether, and they were looking at me like I was their salvation."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story is much different than the original Twilight. The vampires' physical traits are mostly canon, but their relationships, the occasional ability, and even some personalities are not.**

**I have a set plan for this story, and a tentative posting schedule, but I am writing as I go, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to share them with me and I may incorporate them into my story with your permission.**

**I do not own twilight. I'm simply being stalked by an idea that won't leave me alone unless I share it with the world.**

Chapter One: In Transition

I rolled down the driver's side window of my Ford Escape as I entered the tiny town of Forks, Washington. Squinting to make out the street signs in the dense fog, I navigated through the deserted streets toward my new home. As I pulled into the driveway, the porch light flickered on and I smiled to myself. Charlie, my estranged father, must have been watching for me through the blinds in the front window.

He'd been anxiously awaiting my arrival since I asked to come live with him for the new school year. He still wasn't quite sure why I wanted such a big change, and to be honest neither was I, but the second the idea popped into my head, I'd felt this intense draw to start over in a new place. I wanted to find out who I was before my life actually started. Not who I was in relation to Renee, my childlike mother, but who I was when I stood on my own. I knew Charlie's home in this sleepy little town would be a perfect place to do it. Charlie was the perfect parental blend of trusting and disinterested, and I knew that we would be more roommates than father and daughter. I gathered that he was lonely up here, with no living family, and I was sure he was happy for the company I could offer him.

"Are you just going to stand there and watch me unload, or are you going to come help me with this crap?" I yelled out of my window as I rolled it back up. The front door squeaked as it opened, a product of the constant moisture in the air, and my father appeared in the doorway, shaking his head and smiling.

"That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble, little girl, you better learn to respect your elders or someone in this town is likely teach you," he said with a laugh. I rolled my eyes and grinned as I moved to hug him. He smelled like chewing tobacco and mint, and I closed my eyes and squeezed tight. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed him until I breathed in his Charlie-smell and felt a deep sense of home

I hadn't seen Charlie since last summer, and still I felt more at home with him than I ever had with Renee. I let him go and skipped to the back of my SUV with him in tow. He whistled as the trunk door rose, and I rolled my eyes again.

"Don't even start, Dad. I may not be very materialistic, but I am still a teenage girl. Just wipe that scowl off of your face and grab a box. We can knock this out in no time," I grunted as I yanked out my two suitcases full of clothes. I really didn't have much, just a few boxes with books and memorabilia, my two suitcases, and a laptop bag with the new Mac Renee had bought for me so that we could video chat.

I dragged the two bulky suitcases up the stairs, struggling but too stubborn to ask for help. I could hear Charlie snickering behind me, but I refused to acknowledge him. As I pulled them up the last step to the landing, I barked out a laugh and had to restrain myself from doing a victory dance.

I couldn't hold in my gasp though, as I wheeled them around the corner, because the bedroom I'd called mine for two weeks every summer until I was thirteen was completely unrecognizable from the last time I saw it four years ago. Gone were the faded yellow walls and patchwork quilt at the foot of the lumpy antique bed. The walls were a deep purple, and they contrasted beautifully with the new white furniture. The headboard of the bed was covered in creamy white leather, and the bedspread was white as well, with two giant purple thistles printed on the center that matched the walls exactly. The old hardwood floors had a couple of shaggy purple rugs scattered about, and muted light was coming from three matching kelly green lamps on each bedside table and the desk. I noticed that the chair tucked into the desk was the same shade of green as the lamps, and it was at that point that I realized that there was no way in hell my father, Chief of Police Charlie Swan, put this together himself. I turned to him and looked at him questioningly, incapable of speech, and he put his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet awkwardly.

"If you don't like it, we can change it, I kept all of the receipts. Sue Clearwater and her daughter, Leah, picked most of it out, but I know they won't be offended if you don't like it, I just thought it would make you feel more at home here, and uh… yeah," he trailed off.

I giggled at his rambling and ran into his arms. He stumbled from the impact, but laughed at my enthusiasm as I exclaimed over and over my admiration for the room and thanked him for being so thoughtful.

He left to go get the rest of my things as I walked around the room, touching things here and there. I noticed that in place of my old rocking chair, there was a window seat with a purple cushion and a small bookshelf underneath. The curtains were a gauzy mix of green and purple and they swayed in the slight breeze coming through the open window. I drew the curtains back and sat down, folding my left leg under myself. I propped my elbows up on the sill and held my face in my hands, my eyes closed as I enjoyed the breeze. All of a sudden I heard what sounded like a tree branch breaking, and my eyes snapped open, but when I looked towards the sound I couldn't see anything. My eyes were drawn to the fireflies dotting the tree line, but there was something strange about them. Before I could examine them more closely my attention was drawn to the landing at the top of the stairs where Charlie was smiling at me.

"Better get used to those forest noises, little girl, or else you'll never get any sleep. Don't worry though, nothing can get you all the way up here on the second story" Charlie chuckled as he set the last two boxes down at the foot of my new bed.

"I stopped believing in things that go bump in the night as soon as I was old enough to know better," I smiled in return.

"Well, I'm going to get out of your hair. You've got a lot to get done tonight if you want to be unpacked before school starts tomorrow," Charlie said as he walked out, shutting the door behind him. My eyes widened in alarm. I knew I was leaving this move until the last minute, but I hadn't realized how last minute it truly was. I had assumed I'd have a little more time to get settled.

I jumped up and walked to my suitcases, deciding that I needed my clothes unpacked before anything else. I threw open the closet doors and sighed in relief when I saw that the racks were full of empty hangers. Glad that I wouldn't have to live out of my suitcases until I could make it to the nearest superstore, I quickly hung up my clothes, old mixing with the new I'd purchased to supplement my meager winter wardrobe. Winters in Phoenix were much less harsh than winters here, and I'd had to look hard to find warm enough clothes in the Phoenix shops. A couple new pairs of boots, a few scarf and glove sets, two thick jackets and a few warm hats completed my purchases, and I arranged these things in built in shelves in the closet.

I filled my closet and dresser, with just enough room to spare if I needed to get anything else while I was here. I stored the suitcases in the back of my closet and moved onto the boxes. I was happy that my room now had a bookshelf, I had been worried they'd just have to be scattered randomly wherever I could fit them around the room, and I absolutely hated cluttered furniture. What books I couldn't fit on the shelves underneath the window seat fit nicely in the cubbies below the drawers of my nightstands. I placed the decorations, pictures, and knickknacks I'd collected throughout my life here and there throughout the room, and sighed as I finished and felt more at home than I had in as long as I could remember.

With my room unpacked, all that was left was a shower to remove all of the travel grime. I collected my bag of toiletries from bottom of the last box and made my way to the en suite bathroom. I grinned widely as I opened the door and saw that the bathroom had been decorated to match my bedroom, and I sent a silent thanks to the Clearwater ladies for having such good taste. Steam filled up the small bathroom as I stripped off my clothes, tossing them into the wicker hamper in the corner, and I wiped the steam off of the mirror over the sink as I brushed my teeth.

In the reflection, I saw the tiny window behind me and realized that although the glass was opaque and difficult to see through, there were no curtains to completely obscure the view, and I told myself that I needed to do something about it, preferably before my next shower. I shivered at the fact that someone could be watching my nighttime ablutions, even though they'd have to be high up in the trees with binoculars to do so. That thought stayed with me as I showered and dried off quickly, and I made my way into my bedroom in my white satin robe to fetch my pajamas.

I decided that translucent curtains were better than no curtains, and dressed in my bedroom after I made sure I wasn't visible to the outside world. I sat at my desk and turned on my computer, and I quickly put my hair into loose braids as I waited for it to boot up. I threw the braids into a messy bun on top of my head, and then shot off a quick email to Renee to let her know I made the drive safely. I shut my laptop and jumped into bed, delighting in the springiness of the obviously new mattress. Exhaustion set in quickly, and I started drifting fast. My last thought was of the fireflies. My restless mind was still trying to figure out what was strange about them. I realized what it was just before I surrendered to sleep.

They had blinked, and drifted very slowly as fireflies do, but they had done it together. In pairs.

**This initial chapter is short, to see if anyone's interested in more. Let me know if you are. I appreciate your time. (:**

**Love and Thanks**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, and to all of the people who put this story or me on alert. After reading through the last chapter, I realized that there is no way I can catch all of my mistakes… So if anyone wants to volunteer to beta this thing, let me know!**

**I do not own twilight. I do own a relatively new laptop that happens to be missing the left shift key. Babies and electronics do not mix.**

Chapter Two: Salvation

I awoke with a start, the distant blaring of my alarm chasing away the remnants of whatever dreams I may have had and the uneasiness that accompanied them. I groaned as I sat up, stretching the tense muscles of my shoulders. Sleeping in my new bed had been amazing, as I had known it would be, but the last two days of driving had left me with an ache that over the counter pain medicine and simple stretching couldn't cure.

I hopped out of bed and fiddled with the buttons on my iPod dock, and the obnoxious beeping of my seven o clock wake up call transformed into first song on my energizing playlist playfully entitled _Get moving, Bitch._ I grinned to myself as I skipped over to my closet. I slid the doors open and stood up on my toes to reach the yoga mat that I'd stored on the top shelf. I unrolled it to lie in front of the window seat and fell to my knees on top of it.

I decided to start off simply, hoping to relieve the pain in my neck first. I exhaled as I leaned forward to rest my torso between my thighs. I laid my hands, palms up, on the floor by my sides, and relaxed my shoulders until I felt the weight of them spreading my shoulder blades wide across my back. I breathed in and out slowly, and let my body adjust itself as I stayed in child's pose until the end of the first song on my playlist.

I brought myself out of the pose slowly and rose back onto my knees. I kept my knees hip length apart as I stretched my arms up, and then back, touching my hands to the pads of my feet, the tips of my fingers touching my heels. I breathed carefully, dropping my head back, and relaxed into camel pose with my chest arched toward the ceiling. I could feel the muscles of my shoulders tightening and then letting go of their tension. I closed my eyes and counted to sixty, and then gently straightened out again. I knew I only had time for one last pose, so I wracked my brain for one that would stretch the most muscles at once.

The answer popped into my head, although the name escaped me, and I steeled myself for the difficulty of what I was about to do. I squatted down, settling my feet with one on each side of the mat. I brought my arms and shoulders down almost under my knees and placed my palms to the ground, my fingers facing forward, just behind my heels. I spent a bit of time in that position, to open up my back and shoulders, before I bent my arms to a slight angle and slowly lifted my legs to rest right above my elbows on my bent arms. I breathed with the strain of holding my entire body up on my hands, with my legs parallel to the floor and my arms bent between them.

I could feel a light sheen of sweat collecting above my brow and smiled in exultation. I'd stayed in the yoga class long after Renee had grown tired of it, because I had loved it so much. I remembered the first time I successfully completed this pose, and my instructor had praised me. She'd said my body had been made for difficult positions such as the firefly-

I jolted from the sudden memory and my precarious balance shifted, causing me to fall hard back onto the mat. I stood quickly and rushed toward the window to look for what I knew would no longer be there. The name of the last pose I'd been in had been the firefly pose, and remembering that had brought my last waking thought from the night before into the forefront of my mind.

Eyes. They had been yellow eyes, the likes of which I'd never seen before outside of a zoo. Similar to those of a wild cat, but they'd been much higher off the ground than your average housecat. There had been more than one pair as well, and I'd never know wild cats to be this close to civilization and especially not alone. The thought of it unsettled me, and I swore to myself I wouldn't step outside alone at night throughout the duration of my stay here.

I turned from the window and my eyes sought out the time. I had much less now than I had anticipated I would, due to my distraction, and I rushed through the rest of my morning routine, thankful that I'd thought to style my waist length auburn hair last night.

I pulled the elastic out of my hair and combed through the braids with my fingers as I headed towards my closet to pick out my clothes for the day. Looking in through the open doors, I decided on comfort rather than style, and my hands sought out my favorite old jeans, worn so well there were holes dotting the knees and other random places. I yanked them from the hanger and threw them on my bed. I looked through my favorite t-shirts until I found what I was looking for, an aqua colored shirt with faded yellow bubble letters, the band name _cinematic sunrise_ barely legible. I coupled this with a canary yellow tank top underneath and threw everything on in a hurry. I ran to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, trying simultaneously to apply a small amount of black eyeliner to my lower lids. I applied a coat of clear mascara to my already black eyelashes, and studied the final product in my bathroom mirror.

My brown eyes were bright and my hair was a wild mess of waves. I looked like I'd just rolled out of bed, but that was kind of what I always looked like, so I shrugged it off and began the search for my trusty chucks. I threw them on along with a white zip up hoodie and grabbed my iPod from the dock and my messenger bag from the hook by my door. I sprinted downstairs to find an amused Charlie holding out a disposable cup of coffee.

"Oh my god, thanks Dad!" I exclaimed, rushing towards the front door and taking a small sip. "I'm so sorry I can't stay for breakfast but if I'm supposed to be there by eight I have to leave now!"

"Don't worry about it, little girl," he called out from behind me. He spouted off the simple directions to the school as I ran out the front door to my Escape, pressing the unlock button on my key fob. I jerked the driver's side door open with so much force I nearly lost my footing, my grip on the door handle the only thing keeping me upright. I shook my head as I heard Charlie laugh loudly from the doorway, and tossed my bag into the passenger seat. I gave him one last wave and had to resist the urge to give him the finger as I reversed out of the driveway. Breathing out a sigh, I plugged my iPod in, relaxing a bit when I heard my playlist start up again.

I drove slowly through the streets of Forks, repeating the directions Charlie had given me in my head until they became nonsense, but before I could worry the big red brick buildings came into view, and I wiggled in my seat to the music coming through my speakers. I was trying in vain to release some of my pent up nervous energy, and it worked to an extent, but I had to stop my jerky movements when I got to the entryway of the school. I would look like a crazy person to the causal observer, and the last thing I wanted was to become the girl who was having a seizure in her car before first period.

As I pulled into the parking lot, the eyes of the assembled student body followed my car, and my shoulder hitched up towards my ear in discomfort. I wasn't shy by any means, but I disliked being the center of so many people's attention all at once. I concentrated on finding a parking spot, rejoicing when I found one under the cover of trees at the edge of the lot.

I pulled in and came to a stop. Hoping to delay my entrance enough to let the crowd disburse somewhat, I was slow in collecting my things and getting out of the car. I adjusted my clothes and my bag nervously as I ambled along the sidewalk toward the building clearly marked MAIN OFFICE. I watched my feet as I went and observed my surroundings but I did everything I could to keep my eyes away from the still large group of people clustered together in the parking lot. I could see in my peripheral vision that they were still focused on my entrance, and whatever hopes I'd had of blending in diminished completely. As I reached my hand toward the handle of the main office's glass door, it swung open forcefully and I had to jump back in an effort to avoid getting smacked in the face by it.

A figure appeared in the doorway in the form of the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. My mouth gaped open as I took in her statuesque form, pin straight blonde hair, and full red lips. My eyes traced her aquiline nose to her almond shaped eyes framed in thick black lashes, curling towards her perfect brows. As I looked closer at her eyes to determine the color, I gasped. I felt all the blood drain from my face and my knees weaken in response to what I saw there.

"Fireflies," I whispered hoarsely, and the girl smirked and winked at me.

She stepped around my still frame, and I felt her cool breath on my ear as she whispered back, "We've been waiting for you, lovely." I exhaled all the air in my lungs forcefully in my shock as I turned to watch her walk away. My eyes caught the distant crowd, speaking to each other and watching the odd exchange that had just occurred. If they had only heard what she'd said to me, I thought to myself, their murmuring would have been frantic in its intensity.

The ringing bell startled me out of my reverie, and I shook off my prevalent feelings of unease as I made my way through the door towards the front desk. The woman sitting there was smiling at nothing in particular and picking her nails, and I felt my eyes widen when I noticed her hair color was an orange not found in nature. The thought occurred to me that her mother must have been fucked by a traffic cone, and I coughed to cover the laugh that managed to escape me. Upon hearing that noise, the woman looked towards me with a vacant stare, still smiling, and I returned it with a polite one of my own.

"Who are you dear, I don't recognize you," she questioned me with a tilt to her head and her fingers folded under her chin.

"Isabella Swan," I replied, but when she acknowledged that with another blank stare, I was forced to elaborate to this apparently slow woman. "I'm a new student here, my father enrolled me last week, his name is Charlie Swan."

Her eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, well you should have just said that," she told me reprovingly, and I clenched my jaw in an effort to not roll my eyes at her obliviousness. Her hands shuffled through the papers cluttering her desk, and I tapped my fingers on the counter in front of me while I waited. I realized at that moment that I'd forgotten my iPod in the car, rendering the headphones in my bag useless, and I chastised myself for my forgetfulness. It was going to be hard enough getting through the day, but my music and books were the only way for me to escape the building stress. I was thankful in that moment that I was in the habit of carrying around a paperback. My copy of Kerouac's On the Road was incredibly worn and falling apart, but numerous tape jobs and a rubber band kept the pages together and in order enough for me to immerse myself in them.

"Here's your class schedule; your locker number and combination are at the top," she informed me as she placed the envelope sized piece of paper in my hand. "Here's a map to the school, a form you need signed by each of your teachers, and a late pass for your first class," she continued as she passed me a few brightly colored sheets, and I nodded absently as my eyes drifted over the map. "My name is Mrs. Cope," she continued, "and I'm going to need you to bring that signed form back to me at the end of the day."

I thanked her as I walked off, my eyes on the map I was holding in front of my face, and as I exited the building I tripped, crashing into someone in front of me. I cursed my lack of attention as a pair of hands steadied me, and I looked up to see who had been nice enough to keep me on my feet. My brown eyes met the dull blue ones in front of me, and I felt the blush rising to my cheeks as I stuttered out an apology.

"Hey, it's no problem," the blonde boy assured me with his hands still on my waist. I stepped back pointedly, and it was his turn to blush as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"My name is Mike, and you must be the new girl. Chief Swan's daughter?" he asked me, and I nodded in reply. He grinned and then snatched my schedule right out of my hands to peruse it. I found myself annoyed that this boy was able to look it over before I even had the chance to, but as I opened my mouth to voice my irritation, he chuckled and stated,

"Well, it looks like we'll have the chance to get to know each other much better over the year; we have quite a few classes together. The first one is English, and if you follow me I'll show you where it is."

He talked about his life as we walked, very obviously trying to paint himself in an attractive light. He was apparently a star football player, a top contender for valedictorian, and a great cook. His parents owned a sporting goods store, and they were pretty well off. I knew to take all of this information with a grain of salt, but I nodded politely at the right intervals. He led me slowly through a maze of buildings interspersed with huge clumps of flowering trees, and I marveled at the nature juxtaposed against the institutional feel of the surrounding buildings.

We came around a corner and stopped in front of an open door. I could see students sitting at their desks chatting with each other amiably, and my nerves erupted again. Mike seemed to notice my hesitation and looked at me worriedly. I simply shrugged and gave him a half smile, and he seemed reassured. He led me inside the classroom with his hand on the small of my back, and I shifted away uncomfortably, but he didn't seem to notice. The class quieted down, and all attention was on us as we made our way to the front of the room where the teacher was sitting at his desk.

"Mr. Molina, this is Isabella Swan, she's new this year and she's in this class," Mike introduced me, and my earlier irritation towards this presumptuous boy flared up again. I wondered if he even realized that I'd spoken at total of two words to him so far.

"I go by Bella," I clarified firmly, and the teacher looked at me curiously as he reached his hand out to grasp the form I was holding out for him along with my schedule. He nodded at me, and then looked at Mike questioningly.

"Mike, did you forget the forms I sent you to get from the office?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I totally forgot," he stammered, and shook his head repentantly.

"Don't worry about it," Mr. Molina sighed exasperatedly, "we'll deal with it tomorrow. It was just a book list to send home for your parents to sign." He directed his next statement to the rest of the class. "Some of the books we'll be reading this year are considered controversial, so the school needs to get permission from your parents to let you read them," he informed us. "Any students already eighteen are permitted to forgo the formality." He looked towards Mike and me, "Why don't you two find a seat, we don't have anything planned for today so that the office can get everyone's schedules nailed down."

I pointed to the piece of paper he was still holding. He nodded and pulled a pen out of his front shirt pocket to sign it. He handed it to me and then shooed me away, and I turned to find a seat. There weren't a whole lot of empty desks left, so I opted to sit in the back by the window, hoping that it would make it more difficult for my classmates to stare or try to engage me. As I sat down the three people seated closest to my desk turned towards me, Mike included, and I groaned inwardly. It's not that I was opposed to meeting new people, but I'd had such an exhausting morning and I'd been looking forward to just relaxing and contemplating all that had happened.

The girl with frizzy brown hair sitting in front of me gave me a tight lipped smile as she looked me up and down.

"Hi, I'm Jessica," she stated, "and I see you've already met my friend Mike," she reiterated with her hand on his arm. Understanding dawned on me, and I almost choked on a laugh. She was subtly staking her claim, and I searched for a polite way to reassure her of my noninterest.

"Oh yeah, Mike's a nice guy, but I'm sure you know that much better than I do," I said cautiously, and she smiled at me genuinely and nodded. I was glad she was quick enough that I didn't have to spell it out for her. Mike's head turned back and forth as he watched this exchange, and it reminded me of a puppy following the beam of a flashlight. I couldn't hold back my chuckle then, but he just laughed along with me. I tilted my head, wondering if this boy could really be so stupid, but my thought was interrupted as the boy in the desk beside me held out his hand to shake. I took it as he introduced himself as Eric, and then subtly wiped my palm on my jeans as I watched him run his fingers through his greasy black hair.

They asked me questions for the rest of the period, without giving me any time to answer them, so I just tuned them out with a vacant smile.

The next two classes passed much the same way, with teachers who couldn't be less interested and students who simply talked at me instead of actually making an effort to get to know me. My annoyance had reached epic proportions by the time the last bell before lunch rang. I jumped out of my seat and rushed towards the door, praying to whatever deity that would listen that Mike wouldn't be there waiting to walk me to lunch like he'd promised during second period. It seemed that nobody had heard me though, because he popped up beside me as I rounded the corner.

My hand flew up to massage my temple as we ambled down the walkways toward the cafeteria. I knew I should be thankful that I hadn't once had to take out my map of the school to find my own way because of him, but all I could think about was where to find a rolled up newspaper to smack him with.

We made our way with the rest of the student body through the cafeteria doors, and Mike led me to a table when I told him I wasn't interested in getting food. He sat me down by myself as he went of in search of sustenance, and I slumped in relief, hoping against hope that his short attention span would cause him to forget about me and leave me be. My gaze slowly drifted across the cafeteria looking for the blonde beauty from this morning, and I was rewarded when I saw her sitting with a large group on the other side of the room. My eyes widened in shock when I realized they were all staring at me, their eyes unblinking in their intensity. Every single one of them beamed at me joyously, and for the life of me I couldn't understand why. I counted them slowly. There made thirteen altogether, every single one of them beautiful in the extreme… and they were looking at me like I was their salvation.

I jerked my eyes away from them in surprise when Mike slammed his tray down on the table in front of me. My view of most of the alluring people across the room was now obstructed, and I glared at Mike's fork, willing it to jump up and stab him in the neck. A gorgeous boy with wild bronze hair that I could still see in their group chuckled, and those of them I could still see turned to him in question. He leaned in to the boy beside him to speak, and at that moment my world seemed to stand still.

That boy, no, that man, I amended; that man was... exquisite. He had dirty blonde hair and a bright smile, and my heart raced and my face flushed as we stared into each other's eyes. His were burning, reverent, as they rested on mine and I felt adoration for this man swell up in my chest. His face seemed to grow even more radiant, and if I hadn't been glued to my seat by his stare, I had no doubt I would have ran towards him and jumped into his arms.

My inner worship of this man was broken as a nasally voice spoke into my ear. I turned towards the blonde girl now sitting next to me as sneered, "Don't even waste your time pining over Jasper Whitlock; he's as good as mine."

My heart sunk as I stared at this beautiful yet obnoxious girl, but I felt my spirits rise again seemingly for no reason. I breathed in deeply as I shook off my despair. I decided that I would cross that bridge if I came to it, and I turned my head to give the now full table I was sitting at my attention.

The questions from the morning continued, but as I grew bored with the triviality of it, I looked for ways to entertain myself. I started answering all of their questions with trite song lyrics from the sixties. I had to work to ignore all the commotion on the other side of the room though; the group of beautiful people seemed to be laughing hard about something together, and I felt myself longing to be over there with that stunning man. Jasper, my mind supplied his name, and it repeated itself over and over again in my head like a mantra. Jasper, Jasper, Jasper…

**I decided to stop there. Jasper and Bella meet next chapter, and I wanted to give them plenty of time to get to know each other.**

**There are thirteen in total. Can you guess who they are? I'll give you a hint; the Volturi vampires are not among them.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm a bit discouraged by all of the people who've read but aren't interested, but this story has more to it than it may seem right now. I think good things come to those who wait though, so I'll stick it out a few more chapters, and I hope you will too. This isn't too close to anything you may have read before, please believe that.**

**Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews, and to those of you who guessed the thirteen correctly, or even took the time to guess; you are the shit. Thanks for playing with me.**

**A special thanks to Calliso** **for her insightful reviews, and the help she gave me in refining my plot.**

**I'm writing whenever I get free time, so I'm turning out about a chapter every two or three days. No promises though, except that I swear I won't lose interest. This story's plot is planned from beginning to end, and it's barely even started.**

Chapter Three: Ownership

The rest of lunch passed slowly, with no relief from the incessant droning of Mike and his friends. There seemed to be only one person with any personality at the entire table; a quiet girl named Angela who smiled from behind a curtain of hair every time I answered a question with a thinly veiled insult directed towards the shallow people we were seated with. I was a lot less subtle with my verbal abuse of Lauren, the blonde girl that had 'claimed' Jasper when she'd caught me staring. She had sneered at me and thrown uncreative insults that I'd just laughed at, and she had ended up jumping up and storming off in her fury. The other people at the table had just ignored her, so I had assumed it was a relatively common occurrence.

I caught up with Angela when the bell rang, determined to make friends with at least one person who could hold up an intelligent conversation. I knew that I was assuming a lot about this girl that I had only just met, but I had always been a good judge of character and she seemed head and shoulders above the rest of our table. I also thought that she might tell me about the beautiful people, as I couldn't stop calling them in my mind, without snapping my head off.

"Hey Angela, do you have a minute?" I asked her, and she turned to me in shock.

"Ye-yes?" she stuttered, and I smiled warmly to ease her apprehension. She seemed to sigh in relief, and it made me laugh. We started walking together towards the classrooms outside.

"You don't have to worry, Angela. I reserve my snarky attitude for the dim-witted, simply because they have no idea when they're being ridiculed if you mask it with false amiability," I assured her, and she barked out a laugh.

"Aw, Bella, they're not so bad once you get to know them," she said sagely, and I raised an eyebrow at her. We busted up laughing, and she shook her head.

"Okay, they're horrible, but in this town artifice reigns and intellect is entirely undervalued," she giggled, and I felt an instant sense of camaraderie with this girl. My moment of fondness was interrupted when she asked what my next class was.

"Oh, um, Human Anatomy," I said nervously as I fumbled with my crumpled schedule. She smiled brightly.

"Me too! We can be lab partners!" she exclaimed, and I was instantly relieved. I would have hated to be partnered with someone who wasn't capable, or someone who just didn't care to do the work. My grades were important to me; I was determined to get into a good university after I graduated. We made our way through the thickets of foliage dotting the campus walkways and talked of our families. She asked why I moved here, and I felt compelled to answer her honestly, hoping for understanding. She seemed to identify with my need to know myself away from my family. With a minister for a father, it was easy to discern why.

I steeled myself to ask the question I'd been dying to know the answer of since I had first locked eyes with Jasper.

"Hey Ange, who were those kids sitting across the cafeteria from us? The gorgeous ones that seemed to stick together?" I asked quietly. Her face grew sober, and I was worried that I'd offended my new friend.

"They're called The Thirteen," she said softly, and I had to strain to hear her words. "They moved here a few weeks before the end of last year. Most of them are in our grade, and the rest are the grade below. Apparently they're all adopted,"

I couldn't understand why she was so solemn. Kids were adopted all the time, maybe not in such large numbers; but there wasn't a stigma attached to the process that I was aware of. She picked up on my confusion and pulled me aside from the passing crowd to speak lowly in my ear.

"Here's the weird thing, though. Their adoptive parent's names are Esme and Carlisle. Esme and her late husband adopted seven of them, all related, from the same home over time. It was a home for kids with a rare blood disease. Carlisle and his ex-wife did the same thing with the other six. He used his medical connections to seek out foster kids with the same disease. Many of the kids were related to each other, some more distantly than others. The two foster families met in a support group for their disease, and the rest was history. Supposedly they coupled off over time, all but Jasper," she finished, but I was still mystified.

"I don't understand Angela. How are they all here together at the same school? And how do you know all of this if they just moved here? And what do you mean by Carlisle's medical connections?" I queried, and she huffed out a sigh.

"I'll tell you the rest later, we're going to be late," she urged as she pushed me along. She indicated an open door just across the quad, and we rushed towards it. We passed through the entrance just as the bell rang, and the teacher looked at us in disapproval, but simply told us to take our seats. I handed him the form he was supposed to sign, and he jotted down his initials before dismissing me. I turned around and noticed index cards with names written on them propped up, one on each side of every lab table, and I barely kept myself from voicing my frustration at the assigned seating.

"Listen up people," Mr. Mason spoke loudly from right behind me, and Christ, I thought to myself, could he have done it any closer to my ear?

"Your seats are assigned," he intoned, "They will stay the same for the rest of the year. Do not ask me to switch partners because the answer will be no. Your lab partners were selected for you according to the final grade you made in this class's prerequisite, AP Biology. Those with similar grades are paired together to promote fairness. No one will have to carry their partner; you are equally matched, so I expect all of you to pull your own weight."

By the end of that speech, my ears were ringing and I wanted to punch something. I looked for my name among the cards on the lab tables, doing my best to avoid the eyes of my classmates. Luck was with me when I found it in the back, next to the last empty seat. I had just fallen into my chair in happiness when the classroom door swung open, revealing none other than Jasper Whitlock. My breath caught in my throat as he strolled nonchalantly to the front of the room holding a yellow late pass in his hand. Mr. Mason glanced at it and then nodded his head, sending him off to find his seat. My heartbeat quickened when I realized that he was to be my partner for the year, and although I was initially pleased, I was incredibly unnerved by his ethereality. He made his way towards me with swaggering gait, a smirk on his face, and I steeled myself for our introduction.

He sat down next to me with a gracefulness that belied the strength I could see in his body. He leaned back in his chair with his thumb under his chin and his index finger lying across his pursed lips contemplatively, and he stared. At me; Bella Swan. I marveled at the thought that this utterly perfect being would study me, like a puzzle waiting to be pieced together. That was when I noticed his eyes; endless in depth and a golden color that matched the eyes of the beautiful girl I'd encountered this morning, the eyes that I knew had haunted my now forgotten dreams. I gasped in shock, much as I had when I'd stared into their female counterparts, and his smile grew wide and amused.

"Hello, darlin'," he drawled, tracing the line of my body with his eyes, and I grew warm everywhere his gaze touched me. "Cat got your tongue? It's alright, honey, don't be shy, I ain't gonna bite," he laughed. I smiled nervously, but my confidence skyrocketed out of nowhere, and I was suddenly completely comfortable being myself around this man.

"No, but I might." I smirked, and he shifted in his seat uncomfortably. I winked at him to let him know I was joking and he seemed to relax somewhat. I held my hand out. "I'm Bella," I said softly.

"Jasper," he replied, and took my hand, but in lieu of a handshake he brought it to his lips, kissing my knuckles reverently. I blushed furiously and shook my head to clear it, and he smiled at me genuinely without releasing me. Our joined hands lowered to rest on the tabletop, and I stared at them, transfixed. I had a sudden urge to ask him if we'd met before, because felt terribly familiar with him, but I knew that I would have remembered meeting this man. Instead I asked him something entirely different.

"Your eyes are the exact same color as girl with long blonde hair I saw this morning. Are you two related? I've never seen gold eyes before," I declared. I worried that my question was too personal for a first meeting, but he was nonplussed as he seemed to search for the right words to answer my question.

"That must have been my foster sister, Rosalie. You'll meet her twin Charlotte soon enough, along with the rest of our family," he said casually, and I barely managed a nod through my dazedness.

I was about to inquire as to the rest of his adoptive family's relationships when his phone buzzed in his pocket, and he'd barely glanced at the screen before he was pulling me out of my seat. The class stared at us as he dragged my flabbergasted form toward the door. My eyes sought out Angela, whose mouth was gaped in worry, and I smiled in hopes of appeasing it. I looked toward the teacher to find him slumped over his desk, presumably taking a nap. I shook my head in wonder as we exited the room, wondering what kind of school Charlie had enrolled me in. I hadn't done a bit of work all day long, and now the instructor of an advanced science class was sleeping on the job? Jasper seemed to sense my befuddlement and assured me vehemently that we were the students of a fine institution, and the strangeness of today occurred only the first day every year. I wondered silently how he could possibly know that if his family had only moved here last year.

The copper haired boy that I guessed was one of Jasper's adoptive siblings appeared from out of nowhere and joined us in our stroll towards the parking lot. I could make out the rest of their family standing by what I assumed to be their respective cars, chatting casually with each other. Jasper introduced the boy walking with us as Edward, his foster brother, and I smiled at him in greeting.

"She's very perceptive, Jay," Edward said quietly, and I peered at him confusedly knowing for a fact that I'd never said a word to him. Jasper elbowed him in his side roughly, and I looked towards Edward worriedly, but he was just laughing under his breath.

That was when I became cognizant of the fact that I had no idea where we were going or why. I had let Jasper haul me out of my class before it was even over without giving me a reason. I came to a stop abruptly, my vexation winning out over my insatiable curiosity.

"Where are you taking me, Jasper?" I demanded, and he stood in front of me with a leering grin.

"I'm not taking' you off to the woods to ravage you, if that's what you're worried about, sweet thing," he retorted. My cheeks flamed and I heard Edward's chuckle from where he'd paused a few feet away from us. All I could think about was the fact that I wasn't worried about that at all; even if it had been his intention. Almost as if he had heard that passing thought, Edward's laugh grew louder, but it cut off suddenly and he seemed to appraise me with a new respect.

"Perceptive," he repeated softly, but before I could think more on that statement, our attention was drawn to the edge of the parking lot where a scuffle had broken out between two members of their family. I watched closely as we began walking towards them again, my unanswered questions still in the back of my mind. Two of the most muscled boys I had ever seen in a high school setting were trading punches with each other while the rest surrounded them. I would have been worried, but it was clearly only in fun as they were laughing and the family appeared to be amusedly egging them on.

"Who are those boys?" I asked Jasper. "They're your foster brothers too?"

Jasper considered the question carefully, as he was apparently wont to do.

"I want a straight answer," I commanded, and he nodded warily.

"The blonde one is Peter," he pointed as we walked, "and the dark haired one is Emmett. They are blood cousins, but also foster brothers. It's hard for me to answer your questions because the relationships within my family are very convoluted. Everyone in our family is someone's sibling, foster sibling, cousin, or lover, except maybe Victoria and me," he explained, and I stared at him, confused and more than a little jealous. He smirked at me again, and I was suddenly infuriated. I planted my feet and glared at him.

"Just what is so goddamn funny to you, Jasper?" I challenged with my hands on my hips, and I continued before he had the chance to answer. "Is it me? Am I just a joke to you and your family, because if that's the case I will leave right now and ya'll can just go fuck yourselves," I snarled.

Jasper and Edward stared at me in shock, and I vaguely noticed the rest of their family standing stock-still in the parking lot, looking towards us in concern. I doubted they could have heard me; we were still some thirty feet away from them. The tension must have been pretty obvious though, even from such a distance, so I brushed it off.

I waited impatiently for the answer to my question. Edward backed away and walked off towards the parking lot, and my fury turned to anguish at his apparent dismissal. I met Jasper's unwavering gaze, simply biding my time before the imminent brush off and the despair that would surely follow. I didn't know what it was about this man that had me so captivated. I wanted to believe it was simple curiosity, but I knew it was more than that. I was infatuated with him. He was magnetic.

He stalked towards me purposefully, and I was frozen by the fervor in his eyes. He bent towards me and buried one hand in the hair on the back of my head while he wrapped the other around my waist. He touched his forehead to mine as his thumb stroked my hip under my shirt. My breath stuttered out when he brought his lips to my temple, and he spoke with such passion I knew I was lost.

"You won't understand too much for a little while, but of this I want there to be no doubt; you own me, Isabella, body and soul. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

I was aware that I should be frightened by his ardor, but at that moment all I felt was safe in this man's arms. We had barely spoken, we had known each other for maybe an hour, but I did not question his sincerity. A bond had formed between us so strong it seemed unearthly, and I knew I had been right in my assessment that I had never known a man such as this. It felt like a steel cord had wrapped around my body connecting me to this stranger for all intents and purposes, and somehow I knew undoubtedly it was the same for him.

The moment was broken when the bell rang to signal the end of the period. Students flooded out of their classrooms and stared at us curiously. I wanted to back out of the rather compromising position, but Jasper was having none of it, and I found I liked the possessive arm he kept wrapped around my body as he led me to his waiting family. He once again intuited my feelings and winked at me.

"Just so there ain't confusion amongst the male populace," he stated casually, and I was once again hypnotized by his gaze. My body's response to him was preternatural, but I didn't question it. I turned to look straight ahead at the expressions of his family members, worried that they wouldn't care for this new development, but they were all smiling at our interaction. He led me to the side of a huge black Jeep, where a few members of his family were assembled. The rest split up and piled into two other cars; a grey sedan I didn't recognize the make of, and a red sports car with a BMW emblem on the hood. The three that had stayed with us just stood there, staring, and I recognized the one from the fight earlier named Emmett.

"Go on, get in, you nosey sons-of-bitches," Jasper commanded, and they listened. He looked at me beseechingly and embraced me. "Come with us to our house? I want you to meet the rest of the family," he murmured in my ear. When I nodded my acceptance, Emmett smiled at us mischievously as he hopped into the driver's seat. Jasper released me and just shook his head in a sort of fond annoyance, and I found I enjoyed witnessing this family's interactions. He held the back door on the passenger side opened for me, and I looked at it dubiously. I wasn't a klutz by any means, but with no step up, getting into this vehicle gracefully would be an impossibility.

Before I could contemplate the options for my entry, a tiny hand reached out from the inside to grasp my arm, hauling me up with little effort. I stared incredulously at the diminutive girl the hand was connected to, and she just giggled sweetly. Jasper pulled himself up into the vehicle dexterously, and I felt an acute sense of self-consciousness around these flawless people. After I'd given up buckling myself into the complicated harness, Jasper put his arm around my shoulders and held me close into his side. As Emmett pulled the Jeep out of the parking lot, the boy sitting up front with him turned in his seat to greet me and shake my hand.

"Hey Bella, My name is Ben, and that little hellion you're sitting next to is my girl Alice," he gestured, and I turned to offer her my hand as well, but she wasn't paying any attention to us. She was leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees, her fingers massaging her temples, mumbling incoherently to herself. I was instantly worried for her health, but Jasper reassured me.

"Oh don't you worry about her sweet girl; she'll come to in a moment." He seemed so perfectly at ease with the situation that I was forced to believe him, but it didn't stop me from wanting to keep vigil at her side until she did. I told myself while I watched her strange behavior surreptitiously that it must have something to do with their rare blood disease, and that was the reason why even her boyfriend was sitting undisturbed in the front seat, but I wasn't sure if I truly believed that. There was obviously something otherworldly about these people, and even if my sensible mind refused to believe they were anything less than normal human beings, my analytical mind was connecting the dots, from the very conspicuous oddities to the subtle idiosyncrasies, and coming up with theories. Each one was more outrageous than the last. I was startled out of my thoughts when Alice sat up abruptly and launched herself at me. For some reason I braced myself for an attack, and was pleasantly surprised when she gathered me into her arms for a bone crushing hug.

"Oh my God, you are just as fabulous as I knew you would be! I'm so glad to finally meet you! I'm Alice, Edward's sister, and we are going to be so close someday," she gushed into my ear. I could hear the boys chuckling all around us, and I joined them, ignoring the bizarreness of her words and just focusing on her incredible enthusiasm. I didn't feel the least bit shy around this playful girl, and I loved it.

"Hi Alice, it's good to meet you too," I smiled, and she beamed back. "You said you're Edward's sister? Do you mean foster sister, or are you guys actually blood siblings?" I questioned boldly, but she didn't appear to mind in the slightest.

"He's my twin actually, but you'd never know it when you stand us together, that bean pole next to my sublimely petite self," she trilled in a voice reminiscent of a child enjoying the effects of a helium balloon. The loud laugh that followed her statement was all woman however, deep and a bit raspy, and I stared at her in awe and wonder.

"She's a charmer ain't she?" drawled Jasper from behind me, and I turned towards him to agree.

"Don't you be fooled though, she is quite the little hell raiser," he informed me, and Alice giggled maniacally as if to prove his point.

I turned to her, and with a smirk said, "You and I are gonna get along just fine, Alice."

She squealed and clapped excitedly, bouncing in her seat, and I threw my head back and laughed hard at her antics. Jasper pulled me onto his lap and ran his fingers through my hair softly. The others watched our interaction happily, Emmett and Ben glancing back in the rearview mirror, and I was completely at ease with these people.

"You're quite the enchantress yourself, darlin," Jasper murmured as he held me close, and I closed my eyes in my delirium. I was sure now that this whole day must be a dream, inspired by the sight of simple fireflies, that my subconscious mind had conjured up as a wonderful gift to me. I decided that I would luxuriate in it while I had it, and cherish it once it was inevitably gone.

I became aware of our surroundings again when Emmett made a sharp turn ostensibly into the woods, but when I took a closer look I realized we had turned onto a small dirt road. It was made even more apparent by the jostling of the vehicle, as we made our way over unsteady terrain. The reason for the elaborate seat belts was now evident, but found I was completely secure, anchored by Jasper's arms wrapped snugly around me. None of the others were wearing their belts either, but they seemed entirely unbothered by it. In fact, Alice was giggling while she was tossed around haphazardly by the bumps in the road.

We slowed down and came to a stop, and I craned my neck to make out where we were, but all that was visible out the front window was forest. I knew objectively that I should be worried; I was in the middle of nowhere with people I'd just met, and no one knew where I was. All I could feel, however, was a huge amount of anticipation. I had never felt more myself or comfortable than I had around these unusual people, and I couldn't wait to meet the rest of them.

Jasper helped me out of the enormous vehicle, and I looked around for the other cars. None of them were visible, though, and I was really disappointed.

"The others are inside, Bella, will you come meet them?" Ben asked, and I looked around to see where 'inside' was exactly. He pointed to the other side of the Jeep, and I couldn't contain the gasp that escaped me when I saw what he meant. Up a slight hill, there was a cabin situated amongst the trees and built into the rock face behind it. I couldn't call it a cabin in earnest, although the notched logs it was in part made out of gave off that vibe. The pure size of it made it something else though; if pressed, I would call it a lodge, but that didn't do it justice either. I heard the others snicker, and I knew they had to be amused by my slack-jawed expression, but I couldn't find it in myself to care.

"C'mon, gorgeous, you got a lot of people inside that want to get to know you, so we better get a move on, unless you want to stay here all night?" Jasper leered suggestively, and I smacked his arm lightly through my laughter before sprinting to Alice and grabbing her hand. We swung our arms between us like little girls as we trekked up the small hill towards their waiting family.

**Now, why do you think they're so excited to meet her? Its obvious Alice's visions must have **_**something**_ **to do with it, but do you think there's something else, too?**

**Canon vampires exist in small numbers, and in the Twilight books, the Cullens were a rarity. The Cullen kids you know and love aren't actually Cullens in this story, so I guess the question is this; what are so many vampires doing living together, going to school in Forks? I'd love to hear your theories.**

**You'll meet the rest of the gang next chapter. I hope it blows your minds. (:**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your awesome reviews! You guys are fucking awesome.**

**I couldn't decide between replying to every single review to thank you personally or starting on the new chapter, so I'm just giving you what I thought ya'll would want, which is definitely not me! Hah so here is Bella and Jasper, along with the mystery people's identities finally revealed.**

**I don't love this chapter. It was much harder to write than the others, and I'm beginning to realize the difficulty of keeping track of fourteen characters in one house.**

**A special thanks to NatalieLynn for the incredible review that appeared in my inbox when I was feeling down about this terrible chapter. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, it gave me the will to go on!**

**To those of you upset about how incredibly fast Jasper and Bella are moving, Next chapter should help you figure out the reason why.**

**This will probably be the last chapter until maybe Saturday. I have class Tuesdays and Thursdays and I'm so busy on those days I doubt I'll be able to write much.**

**STILL LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO BETA! Especially after I saw all the little mistakes I made last chapter. PM me if you're interested!**

**I don't own Twilight. I don't even own a thesaurus. I have to look up my synonyms online.**

Chapter Four: Comfortable

I was still giggling when the front door flew open and Alice and I were dragged inside hastily by an unseen force. I looked back to see the boys trailing us happily, and any worry I had disappeared when I saw Jasper's easy smile.

The mysterious person holding my hand stopped so suddenly I ran straight into them, and it felt like hitting a wall. Alice caught me before I could hit the ground, and all I could think was _Christ these people are sturdy!_ While multiple hands helped me to my feet, Edward's familiar belly laugh sounded throughout the room, and the rest of the family chuckled in their amusement. I wasn't the least bit embarrassed, though. I made no apologies for what I was, and today I was completely scatterbrained. I had never believed in clumsiness; I had always thought that the word clumsy was just a euphemism for careless, and while I knew some people simply had poor balance, I wasn't one of them.

I was interrupted from my musings when a dainty hand was stuck out towards me, and I looked to see the identity of the person I assumed had dragged us inside. I was awestruck as I looked into the amber eyes of a girl with a bright smile and a beautiful mess of fire engine red hair that curled wildly down to her waist.

"Hello gorgeous!" she purred, and her voice was that of a 1940's lounge singer. "I'm Victoria, Jasper's foster sister and unofficial best friend," she continued, and even though I recognized the name from earlier, the kindness in her voice made the jealousy I had felt completely unfeasible. She grabbed my hand and pulled me to where I could see the rest of the family waiting presumably to meet me. I blushed at my inattention up until this point and vowed I would pay attention to every little thing that occurred between now and the time I got into my car to go home.

"My car!" I blurted out loudly, and the occupants of the room looked at me bemusedly until Edward supplied,

"It's still at the school."

I glanced at him appreciatively for his swift understanding, and he sent me a wink back.

"I'll drive you back to the school when you're ready to leave, darlin," Jasper assured me. "What time do you want to be home?" he asked.

"Charlie gets off work at six," I answered absently. A thought had just occurred to me.

"Why did we leave class in such a hurry, Jasper?" I questioned suspiciously. He looked confused. "You got a text, and then you dragged me outside like the building was on fire," I supplied. He just gestured to Alice wordlessly, so I directed my gaze towards her.

"Would you believe me if I said we were just that eager to meet you?" she asked innocently, but before I could reply, she closed her eyes in frustration and then muttered, "No, of course you wouldn't."

"It is the truth though, Bella," Victoria affirmed, and I looked towards her as the rest of the family nodded eagerly. I waved off their strange behavior and simply asked instead, "Why?"

"I told you already, weren't you listening? We've been waiting for you," Rosalie repeated cryptically from the other side of the room. A girl stepped in front of her that was very obviously her twin; the only difference between them was Charlotte's blonde hair was curly and cut off at her shoulders. Their styles of clothing differed greatly as well. At that point, I noticed that no two members of their family were dressed alike; while they were all wearing fashionable clothes, their individual flair was incredibly apparent, and it made me smile.

"What Rose is trying to say is that you're important, Bella," Charlotte said shyly, and I realized that their clothing and hairstyles were definitely not their only dissemblance.

"Thank you, Charlotte," I said warmly. "And you too, Rose… I think," I added, unsure. Rose just nodded in response. They both smiled widely, and I was once again startled by their beauty. When I had first seen her alone this afternoon, Rose had been stunning. Side by side, her and Charlotte complimenting each other so completely, they were exquisite.

I was jerked out of my reverie when a pair of large muscled arms picked me up by my waist from behind and turned me around to face them so quickly it made my head spin. The boy I remembered as Peter from the play fight with Emmett held me steady and opened his mouth to speak, but I held my hand out in irritation until my dizziness abated somewhat.

"Ya'll need to stop tossing me around like a damn rag doll!" I growled, and I could feel their shocked stares boring into me. I didn't pause. "All this being dragged about without giving any warning is gonna wind up giving me brain damage!"

"She's right Peter, and the same goes for all of you," Charlotte scolded gently as she came to my defense. She walked up to stand beside Peter with her hands on her hips.

"But baby, I'm just excited to-"

"Don't you baby me, Peter McCarty, you need to apologize," she insisted in a quietly commanding tone. He hung his head morosely before turning back to address me.

"I'm really sorry, Bella," Peter said sincerely, and the others murmured their assent. I felt my anger fade as quickly as it had surfaced, and I smiled at them all apologetically.

"Just forget about it. I'm sorry for my quick temper," I offered back. "I do yoga and meditate to try and control it, but every once in a while it gets away from me," I admitted.

A silence overtook the room before Victoria said sweetly, "You truly were made for him, Bella."

My utter shock kept me from replying.

"I hate to say I told you so, but… Oh, wait! I love it!" Alice yelled merrily, breaking the tension, and I couldn't help but snicker despite the strangeness of their words.

"Get lost, fuckers," Jasper said genially to the others. "Bella will be here for a few more hours, and you'll have plenty of time to get to know her anyhow."

Charlotte squeezed my shoulder affectionately before she and Peter wandered off, most of the others following to their individual pursuits.

That was when I became more aware of my surroundings. From what I could see where I was standing, the house was very open and welcoming. There were no doors that I could see on this floor, only ample archways forming the entrance of each room. The floorboards were all a warm tawny wood, as was the staircase. All the walls but one were painted a bold red with white baseboards and crown moldings, and the furniture was all wood and leather in shades of brown and black. They pulled together perfectly to create a sanctuary that was both modern and vintage. It contrasted beautifully with the forest that was clearly visible through the large bay windows with cushioned seats that dotted the front and sides of the house.

There was an enormous fireplace in the center of the back wall that looked like it was carved directly into the white rock surrounding it. The entire wall consisted of the flat gritty rock, and it had no windows. I was astounded to realize that the house really appeared to be built into the rock face I'd seen behind it while outside.

"You have a lovely home," I said robotically when I noticed Alice and Jasper watching my perusal. They smiled at me in thanks, and Alice turned to follow the others out of the room.

"You've barely seen any of it," she called happily over her shoulder as she skipped out of the room

"She's right, sweet thing," Jasper confirmed, and I shook my head and smiled in wonder. Jasper held out a hand and asked slyly, "Would you like to see the rest of it?"

I placed my hand in his and squeezed it tight. "Lead the way."

We walked through the enormous living room and down a brightly lit hallway, turning into the first room we came to. It turned out to be some sort of study. A few desks with high tech computers on top were pushed against three walls of the rooms, and against the last wall was a chess board, with a comfortable looking high backed chair on either side. On one side sat Edward, with his right hand holding his chin studiously and his left hovering over the board, as he stared in puzzlement not at the game, but his opponent. Or _opponents_? I questioned myself when I realized that seated across was him was Victoria curled up on the lap of a blonde man that looked astoundingly like my Jasper. _My Jasper?_ I repeated in my mind, entirely dumbfounded at my unconscious claiming of him. I shook my head to dispel it of my inner embarrassment, and turned to focus instead on the game's competitors.

"Bella, I'd like you to meet James, love of my life and brother to that mannerless heathen you're holding hands with," Victoria said lovingly, with a growl tacked on towards end that I suspected was directed towards Jasper. James leaned around Victoria to shake my hand very firmly. When he released it, I brought it to my chest and rubbed the aching appendage surreptitiously, hoping no one would notice.

In a motion so fast I almost missed it, Edward extended his suspended arm further across the chessboard and smacked James on the side his head.

"What the fuck?" James yelled, staring at Edward in confused fury.

"You have to be more careful, you dick, she's not as durable as we are," Edward explained, and nodded towards the hand I still had cradled against my chest. I dropped it to my side in embarrassment, but it transformed into anger as I processed what he said.

"What the hell do you mean, I'm not as durable as you are?" I questioned Edward icily. Not really a feminist by nature, I was still rightfully enraged at the obvious implication that James and Edward, as men, were so much stronger than me that they had to be careful when giving me a simple handshake. Nevermind the fact that it actually _had_ hurt.

"No, no, that's not it at all," Edward shook his head in frustration, and I assumed he realized what a faux pas he'd just made. I waited for an explanation or an apology, but all he did was look back and forth between James and Jasper, until James finally spoke up.

"Sorry about that, Bella, but Jasper and I come from a military background, and shaking hands like that is just a habit that I carried over into this life," he said, but before I could ask what he meant by that Jasper leaned closer to me and whispered that he would explain later. I nodded my acceptance, and once more turned my attention to the game, where James had just castled one of Edward's pieces and snatched it off the board gleefully. Edward didn't even look at the board when he picked up a pawn and moved it; he just stared right into James's smirking face as he set the piece down before removing his hand from the board and replacing it under his chin.

I watched in wonder as they went back and forth at an incredible pace, barely glancing at the board, neither one making much headway. Victoria just sat there on James's lap uninterestedly, playing with his unoccupied hand

My confusion must have been wildly apparent, because Jasper noticed quickly. He moved behind me and wrapped his arms snugly around my waist. He bent his head down to rest on my shoulder and breathed in deeply before speaking in my ear.

"They are both excellent players," Jasper explained. "You see, James has a very tactical mind. We were raised to think very analytically. We can beat anyone in the house when the game is played fairly; except for Edward. While James and I play in our heads, planning our strategy carefully, Edward plays by the seat of his pants, impulsively deciding each of his moves."

"Bella, what this long winded motherfucker is trying to say is that when we play like this, we're pretty evenly matched, so the game lasts longer and is a lot more fun," James summed up, and I smiled at him gratefully, but I was still confused.

"That still doesn't explain why Victoria is here too," I stated, and they all looked at me carefully.

"I keep the game fair," Victoria smirked. It made sense, although I had no idea how one would go about refereeing a chess game. I nodded my head in understanding, and the boys turned back to their game as Victoria resumed her toying with James fingers.

I turned in Jasper's arms to look up at him.

"I want to meet the others," I grinned, and he returned it before leading me by the hand to another room.

There, with a giant house of cards erected on the banquet sized dining room table between them, were two members of the family I hadn't met. I could make no educated guesses as to who they were, so I focused on Jasper's introduction.

"Sugar, this is Kate," he said as he gestured to the gorgeous brunette standing against the back wall of the room. She brought a hand out from behind her back and waved at me cutely, but didn't move away from her position against the wall. A man with a hair color remarkably close to mine held together a seven of diamonds and a two of hearts and placed them on top of a card laid down flat over four cards similarly stacked. He backed away from the table slowly and removed his hands simultaneously. When his cards didn't move from their fixed state, he pointed at Kate and barked out a laugh. She rolled her eyes as she sauntered towards him, pecking him on the lips before pushing him towards us and walking back to pick up a card from the remainder of the deck.

"I'm Garrett, it's a pleasure to meet you love," he said, and his lilting Irish accent had me pleasantly surprised. It must have shown on my face because he grinned slyly as he tipped an invisible hat to me. He turned away from us only when Kate had announced the completion of her turn.

"The objective of the game is to not let the house fall. The person who knocks it over loses," Kate explained simply.

Jasper pulled me to stand against the wall with him, ensnared by his arms once more, and we watched silently as the two of them took turns carefully adding a card or two at a time to the precariously balanced stacks. They had continued on for a few minutes when I started to notice how strangely they played. When it was Kate's turn, Garrett turned his back to her until she was finished. Then, she would walk back to her place against the wall and stand there until Garrett had taken his turn. It went back and forth like this for few turns before I gave up guessing and finally asked Jasper what they were doing.

"They're just playing the game fairly to the best of their abilities," he said with a smirk. I just stared at him blankly until he elaborated. "They just like to mess with each other, that's all. They play like this so it's fair."

It still didn't make much sense to me, but I brushed off my confusion and dragged Jasper behind me as I made my way from the dining room back towards the front of the house.

Back in the family room, there were three plush couches arranged in a semicircle around the gigantic entertainment center. On one couch sat Ben, with Alice straddling his lap grasping at the remote he was holding above his head. It was too high for her to reach without jumping, and he tickled her with his spare hand to keep her crippled with laughter. There was a VH1 special about the life of Kurt Cobain playing on the huge television in the background, and I gathered that Alice had no interest in grunge rock.

Rosalie and Emmett sat tangled together on the opposite couch chuckling at Alice's efforts to steal the remote from Ben's clutches. When Jasper and I joined them in their hilarity, Alice whipped her head around to glare at us, and Ben took that moment to ruffle her perfectly coiffed black hair. She squealed in outrage and punched his chest, and our quiet amusement turned into loud guffaws. I was still bent over at the waist with tears of mirth streaming down my face, and Jasper barely holding me up when Edward walked in, carrying a tiny redheaded girl piggyback.

I sobered quickly, ready to meet the last member of this huge family I was already half in love with. I wiped the tears off my face with my jacket's sleeve subconsciously as she hopped off Edwards back and walked towards me demurely.

"Hi Bella, I'm Maggie," she said sweetly, and her accent matched Garrett's exactly. I realized that they must be related somehow when I noticed how much of a resemblance she bared towards him.

"Maggie is Garrett's little sister, and my girlfriend," Edward informed me helpfully.

"It's really nice to meet you, Maggie," I told her with a smile, and she beamed back at me and nodded in response. The room seemed to relax again, and Jasper grabbed my hand and raced towards the last available couch. He stretched across it languidly before holding his arms out towards me in invitation. Instead of lying next to him like I was dying to do, I smacked his arm lightly in reprimand.

"Scoot your ass over, Jasper, so Edward and Maggie have a place to sit," I scolded him, and he pouted as he straightened up before pulling me into his lap on the left side of the couch. Everyone in the room snickered at his ridiculous expression, and Maggie squeezed my hand in thanks as her and Edward sat down next to us.

"Edward, how did the game go?" I asked curiously.

"James won," he frowned. "He and Victoria are upstairs… celebrating," he added in disgust, and a crash sounded from upstairs before I could question him. His meaning became wildly apparent at that point, and I blushed hotly, trying very hard not to think about what they must be doing.

"Where are Peter and Charlotte?" I asked no one in particular as a means of distracting myself.

"They went out for a run," Kate answered, as she and Garrett wandered in. They sat down next to Alice and Ben, who were still fighting over the remote.

"So, which one of you ended up destroying your house of cards?" I asked them. They looked at each other and grinned.

"They both destroyed it, Bella," Edward answered suggestively, and I had to stop myself from asking them who had won. I gathered from their smiles that they both did. My face flushed again, and I rested my head on Jasper's shoulder in an attempt to hide it. He kissed my forehead reflexively, and I was once again amazed by our sudden familiarity. I decided then that I would demand answers to my endless list of questions when he drove me back to my car. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice's form become still abruptly, and Ben took advantage of her moment of distraction to snatch the remote from her hands and change the channel from Say Yes to the Dress back to VH1.

"Jasper, it's too soon for everything," Alice said randomly, before renewing her efforts to purloin the remote.

"Damn it, woman, I can't concentrate when you're giving me shit like this," Ben shouted playfully.

"Well then, you should just give it up," she informed him saucily. "No one cares about some sloppily dressed musician that got depressed and died from an overdose anyway."

I sat up in irritation. "Alice, Kurt Cobain shot himself, and a lot of people care," I said forcefully, and she stuck her tongue out at me in response.

"He _supposedly_ killed himself, Bella, but I don't believe that for a second," Jasper said conspiratorially, and the boys in the room nodded their heads and murmured in agreement.

"Is that how it happened in Crazy Land?" I teased them with a straight face and a raised eyebrow. They grunted their protests but didn't respond. The other girls and I giggled at their indignant faces, and at that moment I was truly happy. I grinned widely at Jasper, partly in thanks for the day and partly in wonder over the emotions coursing through me. It felt like I was flying, freed from the bonds of my normally mundane life, and I somehow knew I would always feel like this in Jasper's presence.

I turned back to the conversations between the family members present, and that's when I realized there were two members I still hadn't met.

"Where are your parents?" I asked Jasper curiously.

"Oh, they're all dead," Edward answered cheerfully. I cringed at my mistake, and everyone got in a good laugh at my expense. Maggie smacked Edward's chest and then turned to me in amusement.

"We knew what you meant, sweet, this fool is just playing with you," she assured me as she whacked Edward again. He looked at her in mock betrayal, and pushed her away in retaliation as she giggled joyfully. I was in awe of all the love I had witnessed in this house.

"Carlisle's work takes him and Esme all over the world; they're rarely ever in Forks," Jasper informed me, and I failed to hide my shock. He smirked at my gobsmacked expression before pulling me to lie back with him.

"A good portion of us are legally adults," he elaborated, and I reveled in feeling his words through the vibrations against my back. "We've all been taking care of ourselves and each other for quite some time. They trust us to keep it up," he finished softly, and I nodded, deep in thought. It was much like my relationship with Charlie; he had faith that I wouldn't get myself into too much trouble, so he mostly left me to my own devices. He was involved in my life while letting me live it for myself.

"They don't care if you skip school?" I queried, and they all looked at me confusedly. I explained. "I know some of you are juniors; only seniors get early release, and only if they have enough credits to graduate. My school day was over after fifth period, but there is no way all of yours were."

They all looked at each other and a few of them shrugged in reply.

"We're not worried about school, Bella, we won't be there much longer," Rosalie informed me.

"Besides, it was only one day, and it was for a good reason," Emmett added with a wink, and the others murmured their agreement. I had to work to shrug off the casual disregard they had of their educations. I had accepted long ago that most kids my age didn't obsess over their futures like I did; I didn't pretend to understand it, but it was their prerogative and it was none of my business. I refrained from asking what their foster parents had to say about it, simply because even though I felt completely comfortable with them, I hadn't known them long enough to interfere.

I put it out of my mind, choosing instead to concentrate on the unrecognizable shapes Jasper was drawing with his fingers over my clothes on my arms and stomach. I imagined that he was writing words, telling me everything that he was feeling, simply because it was too early to say it out loud. As the family settled down and focused on the show, I turned in Jasper's arms to rest my head on his shoulder and memorized his features, knowing he would be starring in my dreams tonight.

_I know you_, his eyes seemed to say.

_I feel it too,_ I silently responded.

We stayed in that position until the light streaming through the windows from outside had faded so much that I knew it was time for me to go. We clutched at each other tightly until I had no choice but to stand up and search out the shoes and school bag I had discarded upon entering the house. Jasper rose from his prone position as I slipped my shoes back on, and Edward tossed him a set of keys that he caught nimbly.

The family members present called out their goodbyes, and we walked out the door towards the separate garage I hadn't noticed when we'd arrived. Jasper pulled the door open to reveal the other two cars I'd already seen, and a motorcycle that was covered by a drop cloth. I glanced at it interestedly as I plopped down into the passenger seat of the sedan Jasper told me we were taking. He slid into the driver's seat, and we closed our doors together before he put it in reverse and drove carefully back down the gravel road we'd used on the drive up.

"Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?" Jasper asked me curiously, and I nodded and smiled in remembrance.

"My mom's new husband Phil has one, he taught us both last spring. Renee hated it, she called it a deathtrap," I said with a laugh.

"We'll have to go riding sometime," Jasper offered.

"It's yours?"

"Don't sound so surprised, darlin', you'll hurt my feelings," he chuckled.

"I guess it was just unexpected," I replied softly. "Everything about today has been unexpected."

He looked at me in resignation. "So I'm guessing you have a couple questions for me," he stated dubiously.

"Yeah, just a few," I affirmed.

"I promise you that I won't lie to you, but there are some things I can't tell you just yet, sugar. Secrets that aren't mine to tell," he declared.

"Will you ever be able to tell me everything?"

"Yes," he said resolutely.

"When?" I questioned.

"September thirteenth."

**My husband asked if he could help me write this thing. I told him "Of course; you can read it and tell me what you don't like."**

**Instead he told me, "You should write a story with the cast of Jersey shore. It could be like **_**One day, Ronnie woke up and realized he was a douchebag. Later that day, he killed himself. The end.**_ **People would read that. They would love it, and you know what I bet it's never been done before."**

**Obviously, at that point I realized that my husband is a genius, and he should be the one writing this thing for you.**

**Too bad for you, he can't stand Twilight (but not really, cause I caught him watching a New Moon bootleg on the computer two days after I made him watch it with me in theaters) so you're stuck with me. Sorry.**

**Some answers next chapter, and more Charlie, maybe a little Sue and Leah? AND A SPECIAL GUEST! Can you guess who it is?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey strangers… sorry about the wait. I had this done a week ago, but I sent the original to my prereader rubiconqueen and she told me where I've been going wrong; she was totally right so yall can thank her genius for this making a lot more sense.**

**To all of the haters; I hope this new chapter eases your worries about J/B moving too fast. The timeline I can't help, but the development of their relationship is in my hands, and I will mold it as I please. (:**

**Give some love to caremarie and rubiconqueen for graciously agreeing to beta/preread this POS for me.**

**Caremarie -Growls- It is NOT a pos lol **

**Yeah, whatevs. We'll see after this chapter.**

**By the way, it's not edited as much as it should be. I just got sick of looking at it.**

**Special thanks to Daisy Grace, and once again to TwilightAddict71484 and NatalieLynn for their fuckawesome reviews. You are the wind beneath my wings, along with some other clichés I can't type without laughing.**

Chapter Five: Playing With Fire

"What the fuck did you just say?" I whispered.

"September thirteenth. Your eighteenth birthday," he clarified.

"Let me out of this goddamn car," I demanded.

"Calm down, darlin', just let me explain," Jasper said soothingly.

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down right now Jasper!" I shouted.

All at once, the truth came to me, and I was so furious with him, and also myself for my blindness.

"It _was_ you," I murmured accusingly. "It was you and your family outside my house last night. You've been watching me!"

I was disgusted. This whole day, I'd been so convinced that what I felt for him was true, that it was right, when in reality I'd been fooled by a silver tongue and a pretty face. I didn't know what he wanted from me; what any of them wanted from me. All I knew was that he'd had ulterior motives in pursuing me, and I was pissed. My hands scrambled against the door for the handle, but it was locked, and the lock wouldn't budge. I dug through my bag for my cell phone, and my frustration turned to anger and then resignation the instant I realized I'd left it at home.

"What do you want from me?" I questioned in defeat.

I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around myself. My fight was gone. There was no way I was getting out of this car unless he let me. I wasn't afraid that he would hurt me; I believed unfailingly that he couldn't. The truth was bone-deep inside me and it chafed; Jasper's intentions towards me were good. I was still outraged about his deceit, and I held onto that feeling tightly, lest my strange connection to him make me forget it.

He pulled the car over to the side of the road and rolled the windows down before shutting it off completely. There was no streetlights way out here in the backcountry. We were enclosed by forest on both sides. There were no other travelers on the road. It was just us, with the sounds of nature and the fading sunlight filtering through the canopy of trees. It would have been beautiful, if it hadn't been so bleak.

"I just want a chance to explain," Jasper pleaded. "I want ten minutes to speak to you, to tell you everything that I can right now. After those ten minutes, if you still want me gone, I will unlock the door and let you go. I will drive away. The town is straight ahead, less than a mile off. I will leave you my cell phone and you can call your father to come get you."

I had no other options. I knew that I needed to hear his explanation. If for nothing else, I needed to know why; why he had been watching me, why I felt so deeply toward him, and what he wanted with me. I needed it for my peace of mind.

"Okay," I whispered, turning my head to rest on my knees facing him. He breathed out a sigh of relief and leaned up against the driver's side door. He stared at me pensively for a moment before he began.

"Have you ever felt like you were… different than the people around you, Bella? Like you were meant for greater things?"

"Every teenager thinks that about themselves, Jasper," I scoffed. "It doesn't mean I'm special; quite the opposite actually. It means I'm normal."

"You _are_ special, Bella," he corrected. "So am I, as well as the rest of my family."

"Just get to the point, Jasper," I commanded him. "Tell me what you want with me. Tell me why you've been watching me."

"We are here to help you through a transition, among many other things," he answered vaguely.

"What kind of transition? Stop being so goddamn cryptic Jasper, and tell me the truth," I begged. "Any truth at all, but for Christ's sake, don't be so circumspect about it."

"I can tell you three things right now, and I will elaborate on them as much as I can. If it's not enough for you, we will leave you alone until you can know everything. That's eighteen days, Bella. I've waited forever for you; I can be patient for another eighteen days." he said.

I stifled the urge to roll my eyes and gestured for him to continue.

"My family and I aren't normal; neither are you. Something big is about to happen, unimaginable in its horror. _You_ are going to be crucial to the fight that will be waged against it," he said gravely. My jaw dropped in shock, before I burst out in sarcastic laughter.

"Stop fucking around, Jasper, and tell me," I demanded. He didn't laugh; he just stared at me hard until my amusement died. "Alright, fine, prove it to me," I challenged.

"You've already noticed how strange my family is. And I know you've realized that what lies between us isn't normal. It's been eating at you all day, I know it has," he murmured.

I had no response. Of course I had noticed; the pull I felt towards him was dizzying in its intensity, and we'd only just met today. _Christ, we've only known each other one day?_ I shook my head in denial. I'd known this man for centuries; that was the only explanation I had for how badly I needed to be close to him. I decided to leave that be for now, and concentrate on something else he'd said.

"What is it that you think is coming, Jasper?" I questioned hoarsely.

"To tell you that, you would have to know what I am, and you aren't ready for that yet," he told me.

"Oh, to hell with what you think I'm ready for, Jasper! Just fucking let me decide that, alright?" I shouted.

I jumped back in my seat when his phone rang. The Eagles' 'Witchy Woman' echoed in the cabin, and I glared at him until he answered it. I couldn't hear what the caller was saying, and Jasper just sat silently and listened to them talk for about a minute before hanging up.

"You're not going to let this go," he stated quietly.

It wasn't a question; he knew I wasn't letting him leave my presence without giving me an explanation. He nodded resignedly, and took a deep breath before starting the car. He tossed his cell in my lap.

"Call your dad, ask him if you can stay the night with Alice," he ordered. "If you can get him to agree, you will know as much as you can handle by the end of the night."

I stared at the phone in my lap for a full minute before my curiosity won out over my anger and I picked it up. I dialed the familiar number and waited anxiously as it rang.

"Swan residence, Charlie speaking," my dad said gruffly.

I breathed deeply before I replied, "Hey Dad, it's Bella."

"Oh, hey little girl. Where are you?" he asked curiously.

I looked around the cab and grimaced.

"I'm at my new friend Alice's house. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner, I lost track of time," I lied smoothly, hating myself for it.

"That's alright, Bells. You coming home soon?"

"That's why I was calling, Dad. I was wondering, would you mind if I stayed the night here? I'm having such a good time with Alice and her sisters, and their parents said they wouldn't mind as long as it was okay with you."

It was silent on his end for a moment before he responded. "Fine with me, Bella. What was your friend's name again?"

"Alice," I repeated.

"I heard that part, little girl, I meant what's her last name," he clarified. My eyes widened and I looked to Jasper for help.

"Masen," he whispered, and I repeated it to Charlie.

He muttered indistinguishably to himself for a moment before he asked, "Is she one of those foster kids Dr. Cullen and his wife adopted?" he asked.

"Yeah, Dad," I breathed out in relief.

"She's got, what? Seven foster brothers?" he questioned me dubiously.

"And five foster sisters," I added quickly. He hummed in response.

"Just let me talk to the Doctor real quick, Bella," he requested, and I shut my eyes in defeat while I scrambled in my head for an explanation.

Jasper grabbed the phone out of my hand, but before I could respond he was already talking. Only, it wasn't Jasper's voice that rang out. The voice he was speaking in was fluid and very refined, with a British accent. My mouth widened in shock as he effortlessly conversed with my dad, telling him that all his kids each had their own room, and that the boys' rooms were on a completely different story than the girls'. He assured him that he would keep an eye on us, and make sure we got to school on time tomorrow. He passed me the phone back, and I put it to my ear in a daze, mumbling my goodbyes and an 'I love you' to Charlie before I hung up and dropped the phone into my lap.

Jasper started the car and whipped it around, speeding back towards the house while I just sat and stared at him.

"If your dad asks, Carlisle's seminar was canceled last minute, but he had already called off work, so he just decided to stay at home and spend time with the family," Jasper stated offhandedly.

I simply nodded to convey my understanding, and sat back to mull over everything that had happened my first day in Forks. I made a mental note to call Renee tomorrow to check in, but changed my mind. I had emailed her last night, and there was no need for us to talk again so soon. The point of this move had been to get a little distance from my mother.

We turned onto the unpaved road that led back to Jasper's house. I was suddenly extremely anxious to hear whatever it is they had to tell me. Jasper placed his hand on my knee and squeezed to allay my nerves, but I brushed it off in agitation and tried to ignore the expression of pain that danced across his face. His features smoothed out into a blank stare as we crested the hill and the house came into view. The lights had been turned on inside, throwing off welcoming vibes that couldn't quite touch me in my apprehension.

He pulled the car in to park next to the huge Jeep, and I grabbed my bag and held it to my chest. I reached for the door handle, but was staggered to find it already open with Jasper's hand reaching in to help me up. I brushed off my negative feelings towards him and grasped it, releasing it quickly as soon as I was on my feet. Jasper started towards the house and I followed him hesitantly, unsure of what awaited me inside.

My entrance this time was anticlimactic in comparison to earlier, and I tried not to be affected by the somber faces that greeted us upon our appearance in the front room. Jasper's family was present, minus Emmett, Rosalie, James, and Victoria, and their foster parents of course. None of them acknowledged our arrival with anything other than a nod here and there.

"You're playing with fire, Jasper," Alice said gravely from her seat next to Ben on one of the window seats. "I can't tell you exactly how, but this won't end well."

"Yes, you told me that already, but I don't have any more options Alice, and you told me that too," Jasper replied morosely as he led me to the only vacant couch.

His family surrounded us, half of them seated on the floor and I was disturbed by the way they had all focused their gazes on me, like I would shatter if they looked away for a moment. Jasper lowered himself onto the cushion next to me, and he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and hid his face in his hands. He scrubbed it roughly before he sighed and folded his hands underneath his chin. He turned his head to pierce me with his gaze, before shaking his head and sighing again.

"Just get on with it, man, there ain't nothing that will make it any easier," Peter muttered from the couch across from us.

Charlotte patted his knee comfortingly, and he put an arm around her and pulled her closer into his side.

"Maybe we should start by letting Bella ask her questions," Edward suggested from the floor beside us.

Maggie nodded her agreement and shot me an encouraging look from his lap.

I scrambled for the question I wanted answered most, but there were so many, so I settled on the first one that popped into my head.

"Why are all of your eyes the same color?" I asked Jasper.

Before he could respond I held up my hand and stopped him. "And don't tell me it's because you all have some rare blood disease. I know that story is bullshit. There are thirteen of you living in one house."

"Before I answer that, Bella, will you tell me what else you've noticed that was off about us? Just so I can explain the reasons for each of our abnormalities," he clarified.

I wracked my brain for every single thing that was off about this family that I had noticed. Mostly, they were subtle little nuances that could be attributed to any number of things. I focused on the pertinent discrepancies instead.

"You're all so-"

"EMMETT, STOP!" Alice and Edward shouted simultaneously, and my gaze followed everyone else's to the front door. Faster than I could process, it swung open and a figure flew through the entryway and crashed through the wall across from it. James pulled himself out of the hole in the drywall, dusted his clothes off and laughed before launching himself back outside. A sound echoed through the house that was comparable to thunder; my heart raced and I leapt to my feet as I tried to comprehend what had just happened.

"There was- He just- How did-" I stuttered "What the fuck just happened?" I screamed.

No one answered me, and I screamed again as James, Emmett, Rose, and Victoria appeared in the living room from out of nowhere. Jasper was up and at my side in an instant, and I closed my eyes and shook my head rapidly back and forth, willing myself to wake up. I knew that if I tried hard enough, I could open my eyes and find myself in my bedroom in Charlie's house, awakening from this impossible dream. I felt victorious as my thoughts slowed, my legs collapsed from under me, and everything went black.

-xxxx-

"Just one more minute, Jasper."

"Thanks Alice. I don't know how I'm going to fix this."

"I don't understand why you don't just let Garrett work his magic. It'll give you more time to do this right."

"No, Rose. It's wrong, and it doesn't end well for any of us. "

"Well, everything about this is wrong. She's being sucked into a war that she doesn't even know exists. She should be able to enjoy these last days before her world is turned upside down."

"_She_ can hear what you're saying. For the love of God, she's human; she's not deaf."

"Shut up, Edward. All of ya'll, quit bitching. There's no way to change what's happened. The only thing we can do now is try to make this as easy for her as possible."

"Hush. She'll wake up in five, four, three, two…"

I opened my eyes to see four anxious faces looming over me. I surmised from my lack of discomfort that I was back on the couch, and I was momentarily disappointed that I had obviously not been dreaming. Jasper, Edward, Alice, and Rosalie smiled at me cautiously in unison, and I stared blankly back. There were no words in my head, just a static sound that was a product of my shock and disbelief.

"Darlin', I'm so sorry, this wasn't how this was supposed to go down," Jasper professed.

"How was it supposed to 'go down', Jasper?" I replied hoarsely. I cleared my throat and sat up to see that I'd been lying with my head in his lap. The rest of the family was scattered around the room, watching me.

"You were supposed to be given time," Alice answered solemnly from beside me.

"Time for what?" I asked.

"Time to get to know us, time to come to terms with what we are," said Jasper. "Time to know me, so that you could choose me of your own volition, without feeling obligated."

"I don't feel obligated to do shit!" I protested vehemently.

"You will," Alice whispered sadly.

I looked down at my clenched hands resting on my thighs and took a moment to just absorb and try to rationalize what I had seen. They had moved like lightning. James had been thrown _through_ a wall, and had stood up _laughing_ like it was nothing.

I completely ignored everything I had overheard them saying while I was waking up and focused on the sheer impossibility of what I had seen that had made me pass out in the first place.

"What are you?" I questioned them with baited breath, still staring at my lap.

"Vampires," Jasper hesitantly answered.

There was nothing in my mind that doubted it. My voice was hoarse again when I finally demanded, "What do you want from me?"

"We won't hurt you," Edward assured me from his position behind the couch.

"I know," I answered without thought. I knew that, without question, although I couldn't explain how. "Why am I so sure of that, Jasper?" I looked to him pleadingly.

"Because you are my other half, sweet girl. You are as much a part of me as I am a part of you," Jasper stated fervently.

"You have been a part of this family since the day you were born and every one of us would sooner rip off our own arms than see you hurt," Alice added firmly.

My face was numb; so were my fingers and toes. My breath was coming in short, shallow gasps, and I was shivering uncontrollably.

"How could you possibly believe that?" I challenged her.

"Because I have seen you with us for almost a century," she retorted.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I yelled at her.

"Alice sees the future," Rosalie supplied. "Her first vision upon waking to this life was of all of us together. In any other vision, a person that Alice has never met is blurry and indistinguishable. Our intertwined fates were so set in stone that she could see our faces clearly decades before we were even born."

My head was telling me to get away from these lunatics, but something deep within my soul kept me rooted to my seat.

"Why don't I have a choice? Why do I feel like you're telling me the truth? Why can't I leave right now?" I asked frantically.

"That's the mating imperative," answered Jasper. "From the moment we first touched you have felt it."

"What about you? You don't feel it?" I didn't know whether to be offended or sad.

"I've felt it since I first saw you, sitting at your window with your eyes closed in contentment, with your hair pushed back from your face by the breeze," Jasper murmured by my ear.

I shut my eyes again in rapture before clenching my fists and gritting my teeth. I was still angry, although I didn't quite have a specific reason why. Maybe Alice had been right; maybe I was feeling obligated, like I had no say in my own life even though at this moment I couldn't comprehend not choosing to be with Jasper. The pull I felt towards him was undeniable and consuming.

I was lightheaded again. My vision blurred and my stomach rolled.

"Put your head between your knees," Edward instructed me.

I did as he said, breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. I was suddenly cognizant of the fact that I hadn't had a thing to eat all day long; I'd had a few sips of my coffee this morning and nothing since. I became slightly hysterical when I wondered to myself whether vampires ate any real food.

"We have stocked the kitchen in anticipation of your arrival. We weren't planning on telling you about us this soon," Edward answered my silent thoughts..

"How do you keep doing that?" I questioned in agitation.

"I'm telepathic; I can read thoughts. I don't have any choice about it," he responded remorsefully.

I wasn't sure how that was supposed to make me feel; I supposed I should feel like my privacy had been violated, but it seemed like something that caused him strife. I doubted he was very much interested in my nonsensical inner musings, anyway.

"On the contrary, I find you quite fascinating. Although, it has been awhile since any of us has spent quality time with a human," he told me amusedly.

"So glad I can keep you entertained," I deadpanned. The rest of the family laughed lightly, and the tension abated somewhat.

"Oh, and by the way, we _don't_ eat human food; we don't even drink human blood. We drink animal blood, in case you were wondering," he said with a wink.

He knew I had been, the smarmy bastard.

"What would you like to eat, sugar?" Jasper questioned me hesitantly.

I shrugged uncomfortably before clambering to my feet. This conversation wasn't over, but I knew I needed something to eat and maybe a good night's sleep before I could attempt to finish it.

"Where's the kitchen?" I questioned no one in particular while looking at the floor.

"I'll show you where it is, darlin'," Jasper offered. I bristled.

"I've got it, Jasper," I said tersely. "I can follow a set of simple directions."

"I understand that you need a minute to yourself, woman, but don't be so damn stubborn. Let me show you where it is, and then I'll leave you be," he growled. "Besides, you might need my help. You don't even know what we've got in there."

"Fine," I agreed wearily.

The silence that surrounded us on our walk was oppressing. I opted for a subject change to keep my head from exploding all over the rug in the hallway.

"I'm a little scared about what I'll find in your kitchen. Who did the shopping?" I asked him curiously, with a bit less hostility.

"Kate and Ben did," Jasper responded with a grin as he led me towards the far side of the house. "They were the most recently changed into what we are; it was in November of 1990."

"How do you do that? Turn someone into a vampire, I mean."

"You bite them," he drawled with a grin.

"Oh, so you're a biter," I commented cheekily.

He stiffened, but didn't reply, and I cursed myself for my glib tongue. Sexual innuendos were slightly inappropriate at the best of times. These were not the best of times. I felt socially retarded.

We came to a set of french doors with curtained windows. When Jasper opened them, I failed to contain my gasp. The kitchen was beautiful; it fit with the rest of the house perfectly. The back wall was all rock, like in the living room, but the far right side had a wall that was made of glass. The darkness made it impossible to see anything but our reflections, but I was sure the view in the morning would be spectacular.

I laughed a little at myself after the shock of seeing Jasper's reflection had abated. Vampire myth indicated he shouldn't have one. I wondered what else about him was different from Count Dracula, but I was still too overwhelmed to ask.

I wandered over to the island in the center of the room and ran my hands over its smooth slate surface before opening the floor to ceiling fridge.

I cocked my head to the side and surveyed its contents before addressing Jasper.

"Hey, did Kate and Garrett lose a bunch of weight when they were changed into vampires?"

He looked puzzled as he shook his head no from his perch on one of the countertops.

"Of course not," I muttered under my breath.

I looked through fridge and then the freezer for something that wouldn't end up as ass fat before thinking _fuck it_ and grabbing a frozen family sized pan of chicken alfredo. I perused the directions as I ripped open the box and smiled when I found microwave directions. Jasper had to give me a hand putting it in the microwave though, because it was mounted underneath a cabinet and too high for me to reach. I directed which buttons he needed to push and went off in search of a soda to settle my stomach while I waited.

"You're taking this much better than I anticipated," Jasper said offhandedly.

"Yes, well, I don't know everything yet, do I Jasper? I still have a lot of unanswered questions," I replied bitterly. "I'm leaving them be for now though, because there's only so much I can take in one day. Besides, if I want to be with you, I have no other option other than to accept what you are. And if I didn't, I'm sure the invisible bindings that are keeping me within fifteen feet of you would be a bit of a problem," I added with a defeated laugh.

"There is a way, Bella," he said quietly.

"Pardon me?"

"There's a way for you to forget you ever met me," he clarified. "Until your birthday, at least. At that point, we'll have no choice but to step in."

I ignored the second bit of craziness and focused on the first. I stared at him long and hard.

"You can't possibly think that I would want to forget this? Today I found out that the world as I have known is a two sided coin. I am endlessly curious about the side I know nothing about."

"You just seem very…resigned to your fate. An eternity is a long time to spend with someone you don't even know yet," he said sadly.

I choked on air.

"An eternity?" I repeated breathlessly.

"Vampires live forever."

I was shocked, but I wasn't an idiot. I let my irritation show through obvious sarcasm.

"Well I gathered it was something like that when you told me that Kate and Garrett were changed twenty years ago; they don't look a day over eighteen," I scowled. "I just don't know why you would assume I would want to be a vampire, too. And if I did, why would you assume that I would end up with you?"

I felt like an asshole when he flinched at my harsh words, but I wasn't going to take them back. He had to see where I was coming from.

"Once you know everything, you'll come to the conclusion that becoming a vampire is your only option. Vampires mate for life Bella. It is an instant connection that will never go away, and in your case it will strengthen with your change."

"Well that's bullshit!" I cried. "None of your family members care that all of their choices were stripped from them the second they found their mates?"

He shook his head in frustration. "They are right for each other in every way. That's how it works. The mating imperative is activated when a vampire comes across their perfect match. It's like yin and yang; when two people are halves of the same whole."

He still wasn't getting my point.

"I'm seventeen years old, Jasper! I have a lot of living to do before I'll be ready to settle down with my 'other half'!" I shouted.

"Well I'm one hundred and sixty seven years old, Isabella! Have you even stopped to think about how I feel? I've been tied for eternity to a girl who wants nothing to do with me!" he raged back.

I was struck by the anguish on his face. It was hard to think about how my resistance to him must have been making him feel. I had to remind myself that he didn't have a choice in this either.

"I'm not saying the option's off the table, but regardless of my feelings for you, I've only known you a _day._ This is no time to be making life altering decisions," I sighed. He nodded in defeat, and turned to the beeping microwave. I grabbed my soda and searched the numerous drawers until I found a fork as Jasper fixed me a plate.

We sat together at the kitchen table silently. I was relieved to have some time to gather my thoughts and eat in peace. I was uncomfortable about still not having all the facts, but they had been right; I wasn't ready to hear everything right now. If one more bomb was dropped on me tonight, I didn't know how I could take it.

I was still in a pretty bad place once I had finished my meal. I was mentally exhausted from the strain of the last two days. My life had changed completely overnight, and I felt like I was spinning out of control. I knew I needed to go to sleep, so I could regroup and face all of this in the morning with a fresh outlook.

"What am I going to do about clothes for school tomorrow?" I asked Jasper quietly. He cringed.

"I don't want to scare you, but Alice may have already bought you a few things and hung them in my closet," he answered hesitantly.

"She may have?" I questioned sarcastically.

He hung his head. "She did," he said under his breath.

I had to force myself to ignore their presumptuousness and just focus on the convenience of it.

"I'm ready for bed, Jasper. Where am I sleeping?"

He stood up and took my dishes to the sink before gesturing for me to follow him. We walked out of the kitchen and back toward the middle of the house, up a staircase and down a different hallway before stopping in front of a closed door. Together we crossed the threshold into what had to be the master bedroom of the house, judging by the sheer size of it. I was sure that there was much more to it, but I only had eyes for the stone wall behind the bed. The shape of a gnarled tree trunk had been meticulously carved into the porous rock. It was incredible, and the only thing that kept me from running my hands over it in wonder was the fact that I'd have to climb onto the enormous bed to do it.

"I did that myself, over the summer," Jasper murmured as he sat in one of the two brown leather armchairs arranged on the side of the room. "Do you like it?"

"It's incredible," I said breathlessly. Alice appeared from out of nowhere and waved at me as she flitted through the closet door that was positioned under one of the stone tree's reaching branches. I heard her mumbling to herself as she rifled through the clothes hanging in there before she appeared at my side and kissed me on the cheek.

"The outfit that you would have picked is hanging at the front of the closet. There's a new toothbrush and all the toiletries you'll need in Jasper's bathroom. Goodnight Bella," she said softly before she disappeared.

"This is your bedroom," I stated. Jasper nodded. "If I sleep in here, where will you sleep? I don't want to steal your bed from you," I told him.

He smiled at me sadly.

"We don't sleep," he answered softly. Color me shocked for the forty seventh freaking time tonight.

"What are you going to do while I'm sleeping?" I wondered aloud. He got up and started walking out of the room.

"There are many ways we use to pass the time, Bella. We have a rather large library I'm going to submerse myself in until the sun rises. Don't worry about me, just get some rest," Jasper said. "Just call my name if you need anything. I'll be able to hear you if I'm anywhere near the house." He paused in the doorway and stared at me. It looked like there was a lot that he wanted to say, but he just settled for a nod and a small smile before shutting the door behind him with a quiet click.

I went through my nightly routine robotically, not even noticing what the bathroom looked like as I showered and brushed my teeth. There was a large flannel shirt and a pair of boxers on the bed. I put them on and thanked whoever had left them in my head, hoping Edward would hear and pass on the message. I fell onto the luxurious white bed and closed my eyes in exhaustion.

I drifted off slowly, unused to but comfortable with the feeling of sleeping in Jasper's bed. Before succumbing to sleep, a random thought occurred to me and I couldn't help myself from voicing it.

"I bet your brothers have something to say about you having a chick in your bed without even getting a kiss out of it, Jasper," I mumbled sleepily. I imagined Jasper's musical laughter and my last thought was of hoping that it would follow me into my dreams.

**SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! My only excuse is that I couldn't get the timing right on anything in this chapter; I wanted it to go in a completely different direction, but every time I sat down to write, it came out this way. When I tried to force it, it came out terribly. I finally decided to stop trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. I'm not following any rules but my own anymore. Sorry if it's not to your liking.**

**If there's someone recc'ing this fic out there, let me know please! All of a sudden it got a lot more hits, so I'm wondering if someone needs to be thanked for it. (:**

**There are a few pictures on my profile, Bella's and Jasper's bedrooms included.**

**Next chapter is school, followed by dinner with Charlie, Jasper, Sue, Leah and my secret special guest that ended up not appearing in this chapter.**

**TELL ME WHO YOU WANT IT TO BE!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for your patience as well as all your reviews. Sorry this chapter took so long, my online classes started this week and my workload has tripled. I've got a better handle on it now, so hopefully this won't happen again.**

**Thanks to rubiconqueen and caremarie for all of their help with polishing this thing. Rubiconqueen beta'd this chapter, and she did an excellent job, making sure this thing made any sense at all.**

**A note because there's been some confusion: My Ben, in the original Twilight, was in the Egyptian coven. It is NOT Ben Cheney. And my Maggie, she's no OC; she was in the Irish coven originally.**

**Hope that helps clear things up for yall.**

**I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT! I didn't make this bed, I'm just lying in it, hoping to get noticed.**

Chapter Six: A Realist

I was choking.

I was standing in front of the full length mirror in the entryway of my father's house. My hands were wrapped around my neck. My eyes were wide with fright and my mouth was open in a silent scream. I pounded my chest. I bent over and stuck my fingers down my throat. Nothing was helping.

I fell to my knees in desperation and stared, terrified, at my reflection. My face was turning purple from the lack of oxygen. I watched in sick fascination as the tiny capillaries in my eyes burst from the effort my body was putting into trying to dislodge the obstruction in my throat and breathe.

All of a sudden, I felt something give way, but I felt no relief; only horror. The taste of blood reached me before the sight of it did, and I heaved and retched as the dark, viscous liquid spilled out of my mouth. It soaked into my clothes and the carpet underneath me, turning the fabric a hideous crimson.

The taste was horrendous, the smell nauseating, but the texture and the warmth of it, in my mouth and coating my face and hands, were the worst.

It wouldn't stop flowing. It came rushing out in torrents; the sheer amount of it made me question whether I could survive.

But then it did stop, and I could finally, finally, breathe; I took greedy gulps of air, only to gag when I realized that was it was saturated with the scent of death.

My face in the mirror was almost completely obscured by streaks of blood. I looked down, and my clothes were soaked through and sticking to my body. The skin of my hands was no longer visible, caked under a film of blood that was quickly coagulating. My skin crawled with the feeling of the heavy liquid dripping down my chin. I stood and stared at myself in the still clear top half of the mirror. I was disgusted. I couldn't move; I was rooted to the spot by my reflection, and I was both petrified and infuriated by it; before I could think to stop it, my closed fist shot out and struck the mirror. The glass shattered and fell to the floor in huge chunks and I was left staring at the frame and cardboard backing.

I couldn't help it; my eyes were drawn again to the reflective surface, this time as it lay in pieces at my feet. I saw a flash of white moving through three separate chunks, and I followed it with my gaze until it stilled. My head tilted as I tried in vain to make out what it was that I was seeing, until the unknown entity moved just a bit.

I saw teeth.

And then I saw his face; a sinister smile with a leering gaze. My heart pounded and I was choking again, although this time it was fear blocking my airway.

I felt the presence behind me growing ever closer. I closed my eyes tightly in an attempt to escape as my breath quickened.

I felt lips at my ear.

"Did you think that death would be pretty?" he asked, incredulous. "You're forgetting something. What is it?"

I shook my head savagely.

"How did you taste?" he breathed into my ear.

I whimpered.

"I think I'll just see for myself how good you taste," the voice mused.

I felt hands grip my arms firmly and teeth caressed my neck.

I screamed.

And screamed.

And screamed.

-xxxx-

I sat up like a shot, my eyes open wide and my breath coming in short gasps. I brought my hands up in front of my face to examine them, only partially relieved to find them clean and clear of everything except my chipped nail polish.

I closed my eyes and worked on slowing my breath, regretting the fact that I wasn't at home. My gut reaction was to meditate to clear my head, but I didn't even have my iPod with me to supply soothing music.

A knock at the door startled me out of my reverie, and I called out for whoever it was to come in. I wondered if it would be Jasper, and whether or not I even wanted it to be him.

I was only a bit disappointed to see Maggie's face through the cracked door. I motioned for her to come closer and her sweet smile widened as she slipped inside and shut the door softly behind her.

"How did you sleep, sweetling?" she asked in concern once she'd fully taken in my unsettled expression.

"Great," I lied.

She raised a dainty eyebrow doubtfully. "Bella, you know how my Edward can read minds, and Alice sees the future?"

I nodded cautiously.

"Well, I can sense people's intentions," she informed me quietly. "I can also sense it when someone is lying; to someone else, or to themselves."

I blinked at her dumbly.

"Do all of you vampires have extra super powers?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Yes; at least the thirteen of us do. Not all vampires are reborn with a special ability. It's usually a magnified version of a trait we carried as humans."

I shook my head in wonder. "So what can everyone else do?" I asked.

I was honestly intrigued, but I was also hoping to distract her from the fact that I'd blatantly lied to her face, even though it was just a silly white lie.

"It's not my place to tell you that, love. You'll have to ask the others. They won't mind; they'll tell you everything you want to know," she said pointedly, but a soft smile graced her tiny features as she said it.

I stared at her in surprise, wondering how she could have possibly deduced the worries that had plagued me in my sleep.

"Edward can read your mind even when you're sleeping," she informed me apologetically.

I reddened instantly. She caught my mortification and assured me quickly that Edward had only told her what he'd seen in my head, and only then because she'd sensed how troubled it had made him. I breathed a sigh of relief. She squeezed my hand gently and then left, reminding me as she walked out that we had school, but that I had plenty of time before we had to leave.

She'd put me much more at ease with the knowledge that the rest of my questions would be answered, all within five minutes of conversation; I was impressed.

After she'd closed the door behind her, I climbed out of bed and stretched before heading for the bathroom. I avoided the mirror again, this time for a completely different reason, as I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I cleaned the smudged makeup from beneath my eyes and then left them be, ignoring the cosmetics sitting on the counter that were obviously for me.

I slipped into the closet and gave the clothes Alice had left for me a cursory glance before I shrugged and put them on. I could honestly care less what I wore, as long as it was comfortable. The olive toned cotton tunic and brown knee high boots fit perfectly and felt amazing against my skin.

I took my hair down as I walked downstairs towards the symphony of voices. Everyone was sitting around the living room, chatting comfortably with each other. I smiled, and some of the tension in my body left me as I watched them.

_They may drink blood, but they are so obviously kind people; a tight knit family that I would be blessed to be a part of one day._

The love in the room was palpable.

Edward nodded at me in silent thanks and gestured towards an end table that held a disposable travel coffee cup and some kind of pastry. I took the empty seat in between the table and Jasper, touched that someone had anticipated _my_ needs for once. Charlie was the lone exception.

Jasper grinned at me shyly, reaching out to touch my hand but drew back at the last second and fingered the loose fitting sleeve at my elbow instead.

I focused on the coffee that was warming my hands and nibbled at the pastry before devouring it in all its flaky goodness. I was grateful that no one watched me as I ate, they just kept up the easy conversation, killing the time before we had to leave.

The family was incredibly affectionate with each other while being subtly sexual with their partners, and I felt bad for Jasper all over again. It must have been hard to be the only one of his family without a lover for over a decade.

His pleas last night had moved me, and if anything, seeing this hammered his point home. I was still very cautious; I didn't have all of the information yet, and I would have been an idiot for jumping into something with him without knowing all the facts and being absolutely sure of my decision.

Before long it was time to go, and everyone stood up to gather their things. I held my coffee while I searched for my bag. Victoria held it up for me with a grin and I smiled back as I shouldered it. The bag was much heavier than it had been yesterday, and my confusion must have been apparent because Alice danced up to me and opened it, showing me the contents.

"I put all of the clothes you wore yesterday in there, as well as your shoes, and a lunch; I didn't want you to suffer through the slop they serve in the cafeteria," she told me hesitantly, as if she feared my response.

"You're pretty handy to have around, Alice," I said as I laughed lightly, and she visibly relaxed as she joined my laughter. She kissed my cheek swiftly before flitting out the front door, trailing behind the rest of her family.

Jasper grabbed my hand and looked to me questioningly, and I smiled at him shyly before leading him outside and towards the Jeep. He boosted me inside, this time to sit next to Peter, as Charlotte sketched a wave at me from the front seat. Emmett rolled the windows down as we followed the other two cars down the steep drive. We enjoyed the last vestiges of summer in the warm breeze that blew in the car, ruffling my hair and tickling my skin. I felt light and free, sipping on my coffee and joking around with Emmett and Peter like all was right in my world.

It wasn't until we pulled into the lot at school that I realized what it might look like, the new girl showing up at her second day of school, after being seen in a compromising position with a boy, and riding in with him and his family the next morning. I cringed as I thought about what they would say if they saw the clothes in my bag and deduced that I'd stayed the night. I didn't care for my sake, but it would reflect poorly on Charlie's parenting if I was labeled as easy.

Jasper's phone vibrated and he glanced at it before murmuring something indistinguishable. Emmett whipped the Jeep around in a motion that had me falling all over myself and Jasper as he drove to the far side of the lot, where I'd parked yesterday. He pulled off of the pavement and onto the grass in between my car and the forest surrounding the school. Emmett looked back at me and grinned at my bewildered face before he and Peter hopped out and walked towards my car, checking it out in the way that boys do.

Charlotte twisted around in the seat and glanced at Jasper before addressing me.

"Sweetheart, why don't you go put your clothes from yesterday in your car; lighten your load a little bit, yeah?"

Comprehension dawned, and I stuttered out a very sincere thank you to everyone as Jasper helped me out of the Jeep. Charlotte walked to the driver's side while I stood by the passenger side door and dug in my bag for my keys. I unlocked the car and each of them opened a door; Jasper opened mine and tipped an imaginary hat to me. I playfully curtsied and giggled as I slung my bag up onto the seat.

As the others were feigning curiosity as they examined my interior, I tossed all my clothes from yesterday on the floor in front of the backseat. I grabbed my iPod and shoved it into my bag, taking out my dead cell phone and plugging it into the car charger. When I was ready to go, I grinned like a fool at the people sitting in my car. They all laughed at my expression and jumped out, shutting the doors in eerie synchronization.

The rest of the family was waiting for us on the walkway in front of the main entrance to the school, and made inane conversation to distract me from the stares we were receiving. Throughout the walk, a few of them waved goodbye as they left to make their way to their own classes. I was suddenly aware that I hadn't seen any of them all day yesterday before lunch period, and I was saddened that their schedules conflicted mine so much. It wasn't until I reached my English class and Rosalie and Victoria were still with me that I grew confused.

"Some of us switched classes yesterday, so we could keep you company. We know very well how obnoxious these kids can get," Rosalie said sourly.

I laughed as I sat down at my seat from yesterday. This time, it was Rosalie and Victoria that surrounded me, and I was so grateful to be relieved of the staring and incessant chatter of the teenage stereotypes that occupied this school; at least for this class period.

Today's lesson was mostly a discussion of books we've read, the teacher's method of feeling out where the class stood on their knowledge of classic literature. I didn't participate; mostly because I hadn't read anything that the rest of my peers had; my literary taste was completely different. Instead, I spoke softly with Rose and Victoria, mostly about me until I turned the tables.

"So, Maggie said that you all have special abilities…" I trailed off, not quite sure of how to pose the question I wanted to ask.

Victoria nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm what's called a shield; I can create a physical barrier that nothing can cross. It's like a big bubble, about the size of a small house. I can also block other vampire's abilities, the ones that affect the mind anyway, but I can only protect myself and anyone touching me," she whispered.

I was speechless. I guess I'd assumed that all of the other's abilities were like Alice's and Edwards; only in their mind and with no physical manifestation.

"What about you, Rose?" I questioned eagerly.

"I guess you could call me a succubus," she said hesitantly; it was the first time I'd ever seen her unsure of anything, and it threw me. "It's not what you probably think," she hastily explained, and I gestured for her to elaborate. "Basically, it's hypnotization. I can control minds… or one mind at a time, anyway; a person just has to lay their eyes on me and I can control their movements. They become unaware and it's almost like I have two bodies."

I was slightly unnerved, but I refused to let it show. She already seemed pretty self conscious about it, and I didn't want to make that any worse.

"That's amazing," I said warmly. "I don't suppose you could tell me what Jasper's ability is?"

They giggled.

"No, sweet girl, I think that's something best explained by him," Victoria said.

I rolled my eyes, but nodded my acquiescence as their laughter died down.

I now had at least two of the thirteen in each of my morning classes. James and Ben showed up in second period, and Kate, Edward, and Alice were in my third.

I walked to lunch with them, happy to avoid the prying eyes of the student body by sitting outside at a couple of picnic tables. There were things I wanted to ask them, but they seemed so happy and carefree outside the school that I didn't want to ruin the mood talking about death. Instead, we talked about all of the incredible things that they'd seen over their many years. I munched on the lunch Alice had made for me and listened raptly as some of them spoke of living during the roaring twenties and prohibition. I was in hysterics as a few of the boys recounted Woodstock with dreamy smiles. I was fascinated as Ben and James discussed driving to Florida and seeing the launch of Apollo 11.

It was obvious that they'd lived through and seen horrible times, but no one brought any of it up to keep the afternoon lighthearted. I appreciated it; I badly needed a break from the craziness of the last couple of days.

Jasper and I headed off to Human Anatomy, but before we could cross the threshold I was flagged by Angela. I turned to Jasper in apology, but he just smiled charmingly at me and then her before going inside the classroom and letting us have a moment alone.

She was staring dazedly at the spot by the door that Jasper had just occupied, and I had to work hard to hide my amusement. It was nice to know that Angela could be struck dumb by him as well. As I walked towards her I searched my mind for a way to excuse our behavior yesterday.

"Hey girl, I'm sorry if you were worried about me yesterday, Jasper had asked me if I wanted to meet his family after school and I'd said yes, but then Jasper got a text and had to leave in a hurry, and he asked me to leave with him, and I didn't really have a whole lot of time to make a decision, and he's just so compelling, and-"

"Bella!" she interjected with a laugh, and I took a much needed breath and released it slowly to calm myself down. "I just wanted to ask you why you guys had to leave in such a hurry; was everything okay?"

I cringed inwardly; I wasn't anticipating this question and spouted some bull off the top of my head. "Well, his parents had to go out of town last minute and they wanted the kids to come say goodbye before they had to leave."

"Oh, okay. I had no idea what was going on, I was just curious and a little worried, but I was sure you could take care of yourself, being a cop's kid and all," she joked, and I laughed until a thought occurred to me and I had to backtrack a little bit.

"Hey Angela, my dad thinks that Jasper's parents were there all night; do you think you could keep this little secret for me?" I pleaded, feeling incredibly guilty for all the lying I'd had to do lately. With all that I knew now, this was just the beginning.

"No problem," she said sincerely, and I thanked her as we went inside the classroom.

Jasper smirked at me from our lab table, and I shot him the finger before taking my seat beside him. His chuckles echoed through the room and our classmates turned to stare at us until Mr. Mason called their attention to the front of the room.

"I graded yesterday's lab on blood typing; you all did fairly well. Once again, I apologize for passing out at the beginning of yesterday's class. It must have been a head rush or something; I still don't really remember what happened," the teacher said in discomfiture. Some kids in the class giggled softly.

I turned to Jasper with questioning eyes, but Mr. Mason still wasn't done talking, so I reluctantly gave him my attention again.

"I want you and your partner to take these results and compare them to the national average. I want each of you to write a paragraph explaining your results and which blood types you are compatible with giving to and receiving from," he stated as he passed back papers to everyone except Jasper and me.

He grabbed a couple workbooks off of his desk and brought them to us. "I don't know why you two had to leave my class yesterday, but consider this your one free pass; next time, if you don't have a written excuse you'll get in school suspension," he warned us as we nodded, and I felt thoroughly chastised. "I want you both to complete page twelve and turn it in at the end of class to make up for missing the lab," he finished before heading to a different lab table where a kid was raising his hand.

As we worked together to complete the busywork, kids kept looking back at us and speaking in low tones to each other, and I used my hair as a curtain to hide my blushing face.

"Do you always attract this much attention wherever you go?" I asked him.

"Actually, after that first glance, people tend to shy away from us instinctually. This is all you, sugar," he drawled.

"You're kidding me. Don't the people in this town have cable?"

"Of course they do; this is the twenty first century. You're just that interesting; especially because you're the only person my family has associated with since we moved here. Want to know what they're saying?" he asked as he grinned slyly.

"You can hear them? All of them?" I questioned in amazement.

"Oh yeah, it's all part of the package. All of our senses are heightened by the change. And as you saw from James and Emmett's idiotic display yesterday, we're pretty much indestructible," he said matter-of-factly.

"Alright, I'm intrigued now; tell me what they've been saying about us all day," I said with a sigh.

"That would take all day. Why don't I just tell you the most outrageous theories?" he offered. I smiled and nodded in acceptance.

"Alright, well one particularly catty girl who shall remain nameless is speculating that Doc Cullen is into secret experimental plastic surgery and we're only befriending you because you're a prime candidate for his newest procedure; a leg transplant."

At my disbelieving look, he clarified. "She thinks you're short; she called you a leprechaun."

"I'm a perfectly respectable five feet and five inches," I stated haughtily.

He smirked and looked me up and down appreciatively. "That's right; and every inch of you is sinfully delicious," he purred, and sounded so much like Garrett that I barked out a loud laugh.

A few people turned to stare again and I covered my mouth in chagrin.

"There's one boy who thinks we all must be part of some secret modeling firm and we're here on the down low to recruit you," Jasper said, and it was more than enough to distract me from my embarrassment.

"Alright, so how about the sane people, what do they think?" I asked in disbelief.

He stared at me sweetly. "That we're dating already, that it was love at first sight. There are a lot of closet romantics at this school."

"I can dig that; I'm one of them," I stated casually.

"Are you really, sweet thing?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I am," I said defensively. "First and foremost, I'm a realist, but I grew up reading Austen, the Bronte sisters, even Shakespeare. As an adult, my favorite author is Henry Miller, but I was raised by stories about romanticism and chivalry."

He looked like he didn't quite understand what I meant by that. I hastened to explain.

"Renee was less of a mother, and more of an irresponsible roommate while I was growing up. I spent my life taking care of myself and her; that's why I moved here, so that I could find out who I was without her to define me. She remarried recently, and I trusted her new husband to take over for me. Anyway, I learned all of my life lessons from books."

"It sounds like being responsible for yourself and your mother taught you some things too," he mused.

I cleared my throat and looked at my hands in my lap. "Yes, well, life is hard for everyone," I said noncommittally.

He put his fingers underneath my chin and turned my head to face him.

"I think everyone should have someone to look out for them, to be there when things get tough," he said fervently. "If you'll let me, I'd like to be that person for you."

My eyes welled up and I looked away from him. I took deep breaths to keep my tears from spilling, and it worked. Once I calmed down, I turned back to face him again.

"We'll see," I said softly.

He nodded once, and we went back to our work.

-xxxx-

I put my car in park and leaned back against the headrest. I stared at Charlie's garage door and worked on getting my emotions under control. My chest was aching horribly; it felt like I was missing an appendage, or maybe a couple of ribs. I was breathing shallowly, hoping it would give me some relief, but there was none. I contemplated my cell phone, but I'd only left school ten minutes ago.

I now had phone numbers for Jasper and every member of his family, and they'd told me in no uncertain terms to call them if I needed _anything_. Jasper had been reluctant, but understanding of my need for space, and I was grateful for it. I had desperately needed time to myself to think.

Now I was in so much pain that thinking was almost impossible. The only thing I needed was Jasper, and I couldn't stand it. I had never been so dependent on another person.

I opened my door resolutely, determined not to call him and beg him to come to me. I almost left my phone in the car so that I wouldn't be tempted, but I couldn't bear to do so, and chucked it in my bag.

Charlie wasn't home, and I was glad for it; I wanted to make him dinner to thank him for everything. I headed into the kitchen and tossed my bag onto the table, thinking maybe I could distract myself with homework when I wasn't busy cooking. It helped a lot with the pain, to keep my mind clear of everything except what my hands were doing as I chopped, sautéed, tossed, and baked. The mind numbing tasks were soothing and I lost myself in them.

The door opening brought me back to the present, and I gasped and hunched over as the ache in my chest intensified again. I straightened myself up just in time to smile at Charlie as he came around to corner and hung up his gun belt, laughing with someone I couldn't see.

A woman stepped into the kitchen, giggling and holding a large casserole dish. She turned her face away from Charlie and then noticed me standing in front of the stove. "Oh hey, little girl, didn't see you there," Charlie said happily. He then frowned a bit as he looked around the kitchen. "Are you cooking? That's so sweet of you, I didn't realize you could cook; Sue brought lasagna, there's going to be a bunch of us eating here tonight," he said apologetically.

"The more the merrier," I said hoarsely. I cleared my throat. "Besides, I made Italian, too; Chicken Tetrazzini and garlic bread, and a pretty big salad. I made enough for leftovers, so there's enough for all of us and your daughter-"

"Leah's boyfriend is coming too, Bells, and Sue's boy Seth. He's about fourteen; he's a good kid, you'll like him," Charlie said.

Sue set her dish down on the table and then squeezed his hand affectionately, and he blushed. She was a beautiful woman, so tiny I couldn't see how she'd had two kids, and when she smiled it was warm and welcoming. I was so happy for my dad in that moment that everything else disappeared and all was right in my world again.

We conversed lightly as Sue and I worked on dinner together. She was very complimentary of my cooking, which I appreciated. The only hard part of the evening, besides the gnawing pain in my torso, was when I explained why cooking was something I was really good at. Charlie's face darkened as he heard for the first time how much responsibility I'd had in Renee's home. I laughed it off lightly and changed the subject because I'd dwelled on the past too much today and I'd moved here for a fresh start.

Sue saw my topic change for what it was, but after a knowing look, she let it go, and I was thankful for it.

Once dinner was ready and we were just waiting for everyone to arrive, I excused myself on the pretense of putting my things away, and barely made it to my room before I collapsed on the floor in agony. I curled up into myself and clenched my jaw tightly to keep from crying out, but a few whimpers escaped.

I felt the air around me shift, and all of a sudden I could breathe comfortably again. Before I could figure out why, Jasper's scent assaulted me and he pulled me into his arms, rocking me back and forth.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, darlin'," he murmured despondently. "Kate and Ben told me it would be worse for you, because you're not used to feeling this much, but their human memories are so blurry that I thought they were maybe exaggerating a bit. Alice told me that Charlie was going to find you like this and take you to the hospital, so I rushed here, I'm so sorry-"

"Stop, Jasper," I interrupted him. "I feel fine now that you're here, I'm okay," I soothed him.

"I know, but I'm still sorry," he said.

"What do you mean, you know?" I pulled back a little to look at his face.

His eyes widened and he clutched me to his chest once more before settling me back onto the floor.

"My gift," he said morosely, staring at the floor. "I can sense emotions."

"Hey, what's wrong?" I questioned him. "That's incredible."

"I'm afraid you'll ask me to leave when I tell you the rest," he replied.

"The rest?"

"Bella… I can also manipulate people's emotions," he answered, still not looking at me.

The first thing I felt was shock. Next came doubt, and then fear, but those were squashed almost instantly by the instinctual knowledge that Jasper would never do anything that would hurt me. I knew that included manipulating my feelings to suit his needs.

"You feel acceptance," Jasper stated as he stared at me in astonishment.

"Yes," I smiled amusedly.

The ringing doorbell startled us out of our staring and I looked towards Jasper worriedly.

"I don't want you to leave again. It hurts too much to be away from you," I stated.

"Why don't I come by for dinner?" he grinned. I put my hands to my throat in mock fright and he had to cover his mouth to keep his laugh from echoing through the whole house.

"I doubt Charlie would appreciate a strange boy coming out of his daughter's bedroom," I said seriously.

"Don't worry," he smirked. "I'll use the front door."

He disappeared.

He must have stayed close, because I was able to stand up and walk downstairs without feeling any discomfort. There was loud conversation coming from the kitchen, and I headed towards it.

Three new people were there, and my eyes bugged out at their sizes. The smaller boy was exactly as tall as Charlie, who was six foot three barefoot, and I didn't believe for a second that he was fourteen. The larger boy towered over everyone, and could give Emmett and Peter a run for their money in the muscle department. The girl that was holding his hand must have been Leah, and she was barely shorter than her little brother.

"I'm glad there's so much food," I said without thinking, and they all turned their attention towards me and laughed.

I blushed hotly, and stuttered out an apology, but Sue waved it off as she took my hand and led me towards her kids.

"Bella, this is Leah and Seth," she introduced me and I shook their hands and smiled warmly. Seth grinned back, and Leah nodded and smiled hesitantly in return.

"It's nice to meet you, Bella," Leah spoke softly, and her voice was lovely. Her man let go of her hand to hold out his own in greeting. "This is my boyfriend, Jacob Black."

I grasped his giant hand in mine and marveled at the heat it held.

I released him right as the doorbell rang.

**A/N: SO SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT! My computer crashed on Sunday and I lost ALL of my work on this chapter, I had to start from scratch.**

**Something good came out of it though, I'm getting a new little net book as soon as I get my financial aid refund, which should be sometime this week. SO, hopefully this will never happen again.**

**Next chapter will be the showdown between Jasper and Jake. It may not go as badly as you think! (;**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I know, I know, I suck harder than Lindsay Lohan in... any movie she's ever done.**

**Thanks to rubiconqueen and caremarie for their beta work, prereading skills, and their seriously awesome ability to put up with my shit.**

**Midterms are just now over for me; let's hope that it means I get this thing out faster. It sucks, because I know exactly where I'm going with this story, but I'm so ridiculously detail-oriented that I keep sweating the small stuff and it's making me crazy.**

**Your reviews keep me going. Honestly, any time you feel like it's been too damn long since I updated, shoot me a review bitching about it and it will get me off my ass.**

**DON'T OWN! Although I turn 21 on the fifteenth, so I do own an unopened bottle of Patron and two tickets to see Panic! At the Disco in concert tomorrow.**

Chapter Seven: Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

That's when I remembered that Jasper was supposed to "come to dinner", and I hadn't even asked Charlie if it was okay yet. I wracked my brain for a suitable excuse.

"Hey, Dad? Um, one of Dr. Cullen's foster kids is coming to dinner, okay? We have a, uh, project we need to outline tonight."

He shrugged complacently and gestured for me to answer the door, while the rest of the kitchen's occupants had gone quiet at the interruption.

When I swung the door open, I was surprised to find Jasper not smiling at me as I'd expected, but smirking at something he saw behind me. I turned to follow his gaze and ran straight into the chest, or should I say abs, of Jacob. Before I could blink, I was pulled backwards into Jasper's equally hard body. His arms wrapped tightly around my chest and he growled playfully, but in clear warning, as Jacob, Seth, and Leah stared at us from right inside the doorway.

"It's been two days, Major. _Two__days._ You said you wouldn't even make contact for at least a week. What the fuck happened that's got you here already and growling in front of her after two goddamn days?" Jacob asked in frustration.

My utter confusion went unnoticed, even though it was so pronounced it felt like the words _what__the__fuck?_ must have been plastered on my forehead, so I scowled at nothing in particular like a four year old pouting because no one's paying attention to her.

"Well, I didn't know how strongly the bond would affect _her_ now, did I? And I know ya'll know better than anyone that something this life-changing can't be ignored," Jasper scolded them, and Jacob and Leah looked down at the floor miserably.

Seth just shook his head and wandered back into the kitchen, the rest of us following after some tense staring between Jasper and Jacob. I dragged Jasper around Sue's shocked form and stood him in front of Charlie.

"Dad, this is Jasper Whitlock; Jasper, this is my dad, Charlie," I mumbled.

Charlie looked Jasper up and down curiously, but didn't comment on his somewhat strange appearance as he shook his hand and muttered a gruff hello. It seemed like everyone but Jasper would rather be anywhere but here, for reasons that were still lost to me.

I thanked Sue and Leah for helping put my room together, but their wordless nods weren't enough to break the awkwardness permeating the room. We sat around the dining room table silently, eating and staring at our plates. Jasper shoved food around his with his fork, until he sighed in irritation, and suddenly the atmosphere was a lot lighter.

Charlie started smiling for no apparent reason, gazing at Sue with adoration in his eyes. Without words, they stood up from the table and joined hands before moving up the stairs. I watched in stupefaction as they disappeared into the upstairs hallway that led to Charlie's room, giggling like teenagers.

"Oh, come on, dude, I thought you said you wouldn't work your 'mojo' on my mom anymore," Seth whined.

"That couldn't have sounded more wrong, Seth," Jake scoffed. "God, can we please go outside so we won't have to listen to this?"

"I'm with Jake," Leah shuddered. "This is the kind of shit that scars you for life."

I'd had enough.

"Okay, what the fuck is going on?" I snapped.

Jasper grinned at me while the others stared at me in bewilderment.

"What have you told her?" Jacob asked wearily.

"Just about my family and I; she doesn't know about you, and other than my mentioning it briefly, she doesn't know about what's coming."

"Have you told her anything about what's going to happen to her?" Jacob asked in irritation.

"No, I haven't, and quit being a bastard; like you said, it's only been two days. I didn't want to overwhelm her."

I was getting dizzy from watching their bickering.

"_Her_ is sitting right here, assholes. Show a little more respect," Leah barked.

They muttered their apologies, and I nodded my head towards Leah in thanks. She shrugged indifferently, but the corners of her mouth twitched, like she wanted to smile but didn't want to appear to care.

Everyone flinched as a few thumps sounded from upstairs. It finally dawned on me what was happening up there, and I was both disgusted and a bit proud of Charlie. Jasper turned to face me, raised an eyebrow and then snorted. The Quileutes jumped up and headed towards the back door in a hurry.

"Well, darlin', I think it's time you get a few more answers; what do you say?" Jasper asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Thank you," I said, uncharacteristically somber.

"You'll let me know if you're getting overwhelmed," he stated.

"I won't really have to, will I?" I teased.

"That's right," Jasper laughed. "You're catching on fast, ain't ya?"

I was a bit more at ease as we walked into the backyard. The others were sprawled out on the grass in a semi-circle, with Leah sitting in between Jacob's legs. Seth was leaned back, staring up at the sky happily.

I pulled Jasper down to sit beside me. I kept hold of his hand, unwilling to let go of the comfort his touch offered me.

Jasper seemed hesitant to begin. He was muttering indistinguishably under his breath and staring at our entwined hands uncomfortably. I should have been impatient to hear what he had to say, but all I could think about was how unsure he seemed. He was a far cry from the self-assured, confident Jasper I met in anatomy. It was hard not to feel at fault for his personality change. The last time he'd told me something important, I'd freaked out, and when he'd tried to calm me, I'd all but thrown it in his face.

Jasper clicked his tongue at me gently, with a shake of his head. "I don't know why you're feeling that way, darlin', but I doubt you deserve that kind of self-deprecation."

I shrugged him off with a small smile, and he grinned at me softly before clearing his throat.

"God, where should I start..." he muttered under his breath.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Major; how about you start with us?" Jacob asked impatiently and turned to me. "Aren't you a bit curious as to _why_ we know what he is?"

"I assumed it was because he _told__you_," I snapped at him.

Seth barked out a laugh, and Leah was covering her mouth with her hand, no doubt to hide her smile from her man.

Jacob flipped me off with a huge grin. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and barely swung my head in time to watch as Jasper picked up a rock from the ground and hurled it at Jacob's head. It smacked him square in the middle of his forehead with enough force to knock him to his back.

I was wide-eyed with worry, but Jasper, Seth, and even Leah were cracking up. Jacob sat up with a huff and ripped his shirt off, holding it to his head to staunch the blood running down his face.

"Jasper, what the fuck were you thinking?" I exclaimed, standing. "We've got to take him to the hospital!"

"Relax, Bells, he'll be fine," Seth chuckled.

"Yeah, he's got a hard head," Leah agreed.

"That shit hurt," Jacob whined as he wiped his face off on his shirt before tossing it away in a huff.

Where there was once a gash about the size of a quarter, there was now an angry looking pink scar.

My legs became weak and I sat back down. I freaked out... for about one second, until I caught Jasper's flinch out of the corner of my eye. I breathed deeply to calm myself down

"What are you?" I questioned Jacob calmly. "I know you're not a vampire, because you're bleeding, but that blow would have knocked out a human being, and the fact that the wound looks like it's weeks, rather than minutes old, implies _something_ supernatural."

"No, Bella, we're way cooler than vampires," Seth bragged. "We don't sparkle like they do, for one."

I wondered who he meant by _we,_ but my attention was drawn to something else he'd said.

"What does that mean, you sparkle?" I asked Jasper with a laugh.

He rolled his eyes sheepishly. "I'll show you the next time the sun comes out," he said.

His phone beeped from his pocket, and he took it out and glanced at it. "Which should be sometime on Friday," he groaned. "And at least we don't have fleas," Jasper shot back at Seth, who shot Jasper the finger as he jokingly scratched behind his ear.

"They're werewolves," Jasper said to me softly.

"All of you?" I squeaked. "Like, under the full moon, can only be killed by silver bullets, horror movie werewolves?"

They burst out laughing.

"No, we don't need the full moon," Jacob smirked evilly. "We turn into wolves basically whenever we get pissed."

I gulped.

"Don't fret, sweet girl," Jasper soothed me, rubbing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. "I won't ever let anything happen to you."

"We won't ever hurt you, Bella," Seth said softly. "We Quileute wolves are on your side, and we're pretty certain we're the only ones."

I breathed out slowly in relief. But I was still monumentally frustrated with the utter lack of information I was getting.

"What exactly do you mean, you're on our side? Our side of what?"

Jacob, Leah, and Seth looked to Jasper to answer, so I did the same.

"Now, telling you that is something that actually _does_ have to wait until after your birthday," he said apologetically.

I pondered how I felt about that for a moment, before I decided I was okay with it. I could be patient.

Jasper smiled in relief. "Thanks, darlin', for understanding."

"Well, what can you tell me?" I asked him.

He thought for a moment.

"Well, I can tell you about our furry friends here," he said with a laugh, ignoring the warning growls he received from said friends. "And I can tell you about myself... and my family."

"About what you are? Or who you are?" I questioned softly.

"Both," he murmured sweetly.

The moment was ruined by Seth jumping up from the ground gleefully. I looked to him, but he just laughed as he continued undressing. I turned quizzically to his sister and Jacob, mostly because I wanted to know what the hell he was doing, but also because I had no interest in seeing him sans clothing. They were no help; Jacob sat and snickered while Leah rolled her averted eyes in exasperation.

Jasper sensed my discomfort and squeezed my hand gently, smirking. Suddenly I heard a rather loud thumping noise, and when I looked, I realized Seth was on the ground, with his eyes half-closed, staring at the brick siding of my house, which really wasn't all that fascinating.

"Jasper, man, why'd you do that?" Jacob snapped. "He was just showing your girl here what we are."

"First of all, watch your temper, pup; we don't want anything getting out of hand so close to the ladies." Jasper replied calmly.

Jacob cringed before squeezing Leah more tightly to his chest. She placed a soothing hand on his arm.

"Second of all, a little bit of explanation would be nice. Bella here has been through a lot the last couple of days, and now all of a sudden a pubescent werewolf is stripping down to his unmentionables right in front of her, without so much as a 'by your leave'," Jasper continued. "All I'm doing is slowing his roll long enough for me to explain to my sweet girl here what the fuck he thinks he's doing."

I tried hard to hide my smile behind my hand, worried that I would offend the werewolves, who I absolutely didn't want angry, but Jasper wasn't having that. Before I knew it, my amusement had multiplied tenfold and we were all rolling on the ground laughing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that even Seth had shaken out of his stupor and joined in, no worse for wear, although he seemed a bit confused. I chalked it up to the fact that he was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe about something he hadn't even been cognizant for, and that's when I realized that Jasper was the source of our newfound hilarity.

Through my laughter, I managed to smack him on the back of the arm. Just as quickly as the amplified mirth came, it went, leaving behind smiles on all of our faces, and my slightly smarting hand. I shook it out gently, amazed that such a small slap could hurt at all, even against Jasper's rock hard body.

Jasper grasped my hand and folded it between both of his. The chill of his skin took the edge off the pain, and I smiled at him gratefully. He winked at me before he turned to Seth. He was sitting there in nothing but his boxers, and while a grin still ghosted across his face, he was holding his clothes in his hands and pondering them hard.

"For God's sake, Seth, don't hurt yourself," Jacob said, and I snorted. "Jasper knocked you stupid for a minute so he could tell Bella that rather than practicing for a lustrous career as a Chippendale's dancer, you were attempting to show her your tail."

I giggled as Seth rolled his eyes, standing back up slowly.

"May I phase now, oh mighty Major Whitlock?" Seth asked exasperatedly.

Jasper stood before pulling me up to stand behind him. He guided me backwards a few steps, towards the house, placing my body mostly behind him, but wrapping an arm around my shoulder so that I could see. Unable to help myself, I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed. He squeezed me gently back for a moment before taking a deep breath and nodding sharply at Seth. Seth made to take off his boxers.

"I'll buy you a new pair of boxers, Seth, just for the love of Christ, keep them on. I'm already scarred for life, but we can still save Bella from the sight of your twig and berries," Leah huffed in irritation.

And just like that the tension had abated. I hadn't laughed this much in ages.

"More like my _supersized_ meat and two veg, but whatever," Seth grumbled.

Without warning, Seth..._exploded,_scattering miniscule pieces of blue cotton all over my backyard. That's the only word I could use to describe it. It was completely unlike all the horror movie characterizations of a man turning into a wolf, with breaking bones and screams of pain. If I had blinked, I would have missed it. So instead of marveling over the change that had just occurred, all I could do was stare in shock at the sheer _size_ of this...creature. He looked like a wolf, but there's no way I could call him that with a straight face, because he was the size of a horse.

He took a step forward, and I instinctively took a step back; I had no idea how aware he was, or if his mind was that of an animal and he'd attack me at any given moment, out of fear, or rage, or just plain hunger.

"Don't be scared, darlin'," Jasper soothed me. "He's still just a normal guy in his head; Edward swears their thoughts are completely human unless they choose to follow their animal instincts-"

"Which we only do when we're hunting, or fighting, and even then we rule with our heads first and foremost," Jacob interrupted.

"And even still, I'll always be there to protect you," Jasper finished, staring at me heatedly, ignoring the presence of the wolves completely.

"And if you're not there?" I asked him softly.

"I'll always be there, Bella," he repeated. He grasped my shoulders and leaned down until his forehead was against mine. "Even if you don't choose me, even if you decide to turn your back on the bond; which you can, by the way, although it's been said that it is indescribably painful; even if you never wish to see me again, I'll always be there, protecting you from the shadows, and waiting in the wings just in case you ever change your mind."

I closed my eyes before he could see them well up, but a few tears escaped of their own volition, so I buried my head into his chest.

"Oh, my sweet girl," Jasper crooned in my ear. "Don't be sad; if that's what you decide, then I'll understand. There are worse things in life than to follow a pretty girl around for eternity," he said jokingly.

It wasn't funny, but I think he knew that. We were brought out of the tenderness of the moment by a loud snuffling sound near our feet. I almost let out a shriek when I looked down to see Seth's snout nosing about in the grass between us. I laughed instead, a bit out of amusement, but mostly out of hysteria. Seth brought his head up so that his eyes were level with mine, and my laughter died in my throat.

Even with Jasper next to me and the Quileute's protestations that I was safe in their presence, I still couldn't stop the chill that ran down my spine at the shrewd intelligence in his gaze. Before I could let my fear get the best of me and send me running, Seth's giant tongue poked out of his mouth and he _licked_ me from the base of my chin to my hairline. The roughness of his tongue was made worse by the fact that it was as wide as my wrist, and although his slobber didn't smell like doggy-breath, it was still someone else's _spit_, and I was grossed out beyond comprehension.

I squealed in outrage, making Leah and Jacob crack up at the completely nonthreatening sound. My indignation knew no bounds, so without thinking, I clenched my fist, cocked my arm back, and punched Seth square in his furry snout. He yelped in surprise before jumping back, and I was forced to shake my hand out for the second time in less than an hour.

Jasper couldn't hold it in. He roared with laughter, scaring a flock of birds from the trees of the surrounding forest. He clutched his knees in a valiant attempt to stay upright, but his fit of laughter sent his easy grace out the window, and he couldn't manage it for longer than a few seconds. He fell to the ground, and at the moment of impact, he brought the rest of us down with him by releasing his hilarity once again, although this time it seemed much stronger.

It was at the point when my stomach ached and I couldn't breathe that Jasper finally released us from our unwilling laughter. I breathed deeply for the first time in what felt like hours, lying on my back staring up at the darkening sky. While I was recovering, I watched as Seth hooked his clothes with his teeth and trotted into the forest at the back of the property. He came back moments later, shaking his head in residual amusement, before plopping himself back down on the ground where he'd sat for the better part of the afternoon.

I sat up and sighed.

"I'm sorry for punching you, Seth. I'll never do it again, so long as you keep your tongue in your mouth and your hands to yourself," I told him.

"I second that," Jasper grumbled, pulling me back to lean against his chest.

"Deal," Seth snickered. "By the way, mean right hook you got there; if I didn't have miraculous regenerative powers, and I wasn't a giant wolf at the time, I'd probably have at least a black eye. Who taught you how to hit like that?"

"My daddy did," I replied sweetly.

Jasper clutched me tighter and burrowed his face into the hair at my shoulder and groaned.

"That's kinda hot," Seth smirked.

Jasper growled lowly, and the vibrations resounded through my chest.

"And on that note, I think we'll get outta here," Leah said.

We stood up and I stretched, grateful to get off of the hard ground. Jasper let out another growl, and Seth averted his eyes from me quickly, although I had no idea what he had been looking at until Jasper pulled my shirt back down to hide the skin above my jeans. I blushed hotly.

The Quileutes said their goodbyes, thanking me for dinner and for not freaking out, which I thought was hilarious, before exiting the backyard through the side gate, leaving Jasper and I alone for the first time in hours. I turned to him and smiled tiredly, before taking his hand in mine and pulling him back into the house and up to my room. The house was silent now, and at this point I was too exhausted to care why that was.

I stared at my bed longingly before letting go of Jasper and making my way to my dresser to pull out pajamas.

"I have to shower; will you stay?" I asked him sleepily, aware that even though I hadn't made a decision about him yet, there was no way that I could fall asleep without him near.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep; after that, I'll need to go hunting, and I know you could use some time to yourself," he answered softly, with no resentment. "I'll stay nearby so that you can still sleep, but I'll leave you be until you're ready to talk."

"Thank you," I replied simply, before shutting myself into my bathroom.

I showered and got ready for bed robotically, not bothering to do anything with my hair. I had absolutely no desire to go to school tomorrow, and I decided that I wouldn't unless Charlie insisted upon it. It was the first week of school; I wouldn't miss anything, and I could really use some time to think and unwind.

As I exited the bathroom, I realized two things; one, unless Jasper lied down in my bed with me, he would have to sit in my uncomfortable office chair until I fell asleep; and two, I sort of wanted him to lie down in my bed with me, but I didn't want to give him false hope until I knew without a doubt that I wanted to be with him.

I was wracking my brain for a way to invite him to bed with me without sounding suggestive, when I decided _screw__it,_ and just grabbed his hand and pulled him behind me. I climbed under the covers and gestured for him to get in behind me. He stared at me intensely for a moment, most likely checking my emotional climate, before shaking his head ruefully and giving in. He touched my face, hesitantly but reverently, before I turned onto my side and pulled his arms around me.

I was asleep within seconds.

-xxxx-

When I awoke, I was alone. My alarm clock read 9:45, and I sighed happily that Charlie was apparently okay with me playing hooky, and I didn't have to go to school. As I pondered what I would do with my day, my phone rang from my nightstand beside me, and I sent a silent thanks to Jasper for remembering to put it on the charger for me, because I had forgotten about it completely last night. I put it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, little girl, how are you feeling?" Charlie asked me. "Sue said she heard you getting sick last night, and to leave you be and let you rest. Was it something you ate, do you think?"

I sent another silent thanks, this time to Sue, for giving my father this fake excuse so I could have some time to reflect.

"Uh, yeah, Dad, I think maybe the school's mystery meat was a bad choice," I joked weakly, feeling guilty for lying to him once again.

"Alright, well you get some rest; I hope you feel better."

"Thanks, Dad."

After hanging up, I sat up on the side of my bed. My yoga mat was calling to me, but so was breakfast, and I needed to do laundry and check my email, maybe call my mom to check up on her. I had a bit of homework as well, and so I reluctantly jumped out of bed to start my day.

**A/N: I'm going to start to try harder to reply to every review I get… It's no less than what ya'll deserve.**

**I'm heading into a three hour long chemistry lecture in about an hour. FIRST PERSON TO MAKE ME BURST OUT IN INAPPROPRIATE LAUGHTER IN THE MIDDLE OF CLASS WINS A TEASER!**

**Sorry, but this class couldn't be more boring.**

**So, a tiny bit shorter than the last couple of chapters, but my son is going through a phase right now where he is CONSTANTLY up my butt, so I'm shooting this thing off a few sentences at a time during the day and late at night while he's asleep and I'm halfway there.**

**You people and your reviews are what keep me motivated to write this thing, so thank you, and a big HELLO DARLIN' to all my new readers that came over from twilighted just to read this thing.**


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